Custer State Park Reviews

We spent a week in the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota. One of the stops we had to make was Custer State Park. We also drove the Wildlife Loop Road, Iron Mountain Road, and the Needles Highway (a must do to experience the tiny tunnels). Being shoulder season, we barely saw another vehicle. It was nice to go at our own pace and stop when we wanted to take pictures and to view the animals for extended periods of time!

Cell service is spotty, so download maps ahead of time. Also, there aren’t many nearby restaurants or stores, so pack food and supplies in advance. Plan on an entire day to explore the area.

We needed 2 days to drive all the scenic roads, to hike, and to see the wildlife. We saw bison (and newborn calves), pronghorn, eagles, mule deer, turkeys, wild horses, and wild mules.

Great for families, couples, or solo travelers who just want to unplug and enjoy nature. Highly recommended for anyone looking to get off the beaten path.

Wonderful state park. Don't miss the Visitor Center film narrated by Kevin Kostner. The wildlife loop was amazing. We were treated to a whole herd of Bison mommies with their babies all together in a large meadow, not to mention prairie dogs, deer,... and the feral burros who work in pairs stopping cars wanting to be fed. The Needles Highway 87 south from Keystone back into the park was the #1 scenic drive. #2 is highway 16A up to Keystone with tunnels through which you can see Mt. Rushmore in the distance. And don't miss Sylvan Lake, described to us by a ranger as the most beautiful site in the park and we agree.

A must see. I went on two separate occasions. First was late in the day to do the wildlife loop. The only animal I didn’t see was the bighorn sheep. The next time was around 10am. Even more Buffalo were out . Every hill side had a heard roaming. Along with the other animals. Then did the Needles drive and the sites and views were beyond belief. Enjoyed my time at the state park.

Beautiful park. Workers and park rangers friendly and helpful. Lodges well maintained although the stores don't have much in the way of useful items. ie: s'more kits, milk, bread. They're more like gift shops. The lake water at Legion is crystal clear and perfect for fishing, kayaking or swimming. Beautiful beach so bring the sand toys. There is an easy hike around the lake also. The hike around Stockade Lake is a little harder but the view is worth it.

If we could give more than 4 stars we would! What an incredible park...South Dakota should be very proud and we're so fortunate to have experienced many parts of it on our recent vacation there. The Wildlife Loop Road was THE BEST! Seeing all of the animals, feeding the begging mules and seeing multiple herds of Buffalos up close was nothing short of spectacular. The Prairie Dogs, coyotes, and the wild and wide-open plains was exactly what we thought we'd see and experience. The Needles Highway, and Iron Mountain Road drives were equally impressive! The movie, narrated by Kevin Costner in the visitor's center was spectacular and moving beyond words. Everyone should see and experience this magical place!

Going through Custer State Park is a must. Beautiful. You see so much country! Needles State Highway is stunning! My favorite place.

Went through this great park as part of our tour of the Black Hills and it was a great part of that overall tour! And especially for the amount of bison (buffalo?) we saw. If you take a tour of the Hills - and duh, if you go to South Dakota, you WILL see the Hills! - make sure it includes this park. You will enjoy it!

The changes in terrain within one park are hard to describe. Flat grasslands, rolling hills, beautiful lakes, and amazing rock formations are all within roughly 30 minutes of one another. I spent most of two days here, and while I didn't experience the wildlife that many have, I loved every minute of this amazingly beautiful place.

This park shouldn't be missed if you are in the Black Hills. There are some beautiful drives, with opportunities to see wildlife. We encountered a big herd of buffalo crossing the road and also walked right up to some wild donkeys. Needles highway is well worth driving, though it is narrow.

Awesome park! Always something different to see. If you want to see the whole park plan 3 hours + to drive around the 3 scenic drives. Longer if you want to stop and explore and hike. You can see Visitor center (1 hour) and Bison center (30 minute) for more explanation about the Park. Enjoy ! Here’s a photo of Bison center from yesterday morning-surrounded by bison.

What an amazing park! The terrific visitor center plus variety of hikes, activities, and ranger programs reminds me of some of the "big" national parks. Plenty of wildlife sightings & a variety of lodging and food options, too. We spent two days in the park and could have easily added more, but we wanted to go to Spearfish Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Jewel Cave, and Wind Cave too.

Custer State Park is just as beautiful as any other park without all the crowds. It is scenic, historic and loaded with wildlife. If you are looking for a quieter getaway to the great outdoors I would recommend Custer in October. Breathtaking

Great drive! Make sure you drive down a couple of the public gravel roads.

We were disappointed in not seeing many animals until we came around a curve and over a hill and found the burros on the wildlife loop! They surrounded the car and we were able to see quite a few pairs of moms with their babies.

Then down one of those side roads we found the bison "jam". Again had a baby stop in the middle of the road to nurse.

This is an absolutely beautiful park, well worth the cost of admission. Stop at the Visitors Center and they will tell you where to find the bison herd on that day. The first day we did the wildlife loop and saw deer, antelope, bison, prairie dogs, and the begging burros. On day 2 we explored the stockade, took Needles Highway, and walked around Sylvan Lake. We also saw eagles and longhorn sheep. Truly a highlight of our trip and not to be missed.

Great State park. It is worth getting a detailed map and planning a route. We were on our way to Rapid City from Denver and it is easy to end up duplicating your route. We enjoyed seeing lots of Bison along the way and some white tailed deer and lots of prairie dogs. It is important not to get out of the car to see the bison! Check the width of your car before going near the Needles route. It was not too crowded in mid September but queues can build up in certain areas. Fee to enter which can be paid at the machines near the gates to the entrance of the park. You can also buy an annual America is beautiful card for entry to all state parks - available online in advance or at some of the state parks when the entrance is manned.

I can’t say enough positive things about Custer State Park. The wildlife was amazing at dusk. The lodges were all little bit different. Sylvan Lake was gorgeous. The campground was among the cleanest I’ve ever seen. Everyone that we encountered was helpful and kind.

This place is amazing. My boyfriend and I had a blast. The camp ground was beautiful. People camping around us were so nice and friendly. This is a must for families. Mt. Rushmore is 35 minutes away, Devil Tower, Wyoming is 2 hours and 15 away etc. The best of the park is the wildlife loop. We went everyday several times a day.

Don’t miss this State Park! Needles Highway is so beautiful! Nature at its finest. Wish we had stayed in one of the lodges inside the park.

My husband and I drove the Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park twice during our visit to the Black Hills and had a wonderful time enjoying the beautiful scenery and seeing herds of buffalo with babies, pronghorns, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and most of all the burros with newborn babies by their sides. Afterwards we were able to easily explore multiple scenic drives right from the park including the Iron Mountain Road, Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway and Needles Highway. Highly recommend a stop here when you are in town.

What an incredible park from start to finish! Our family of 5 with 3 teens started seeing intro bison (although they refer to them as buffalo there) before we even entered the park. After entering, it was this spectacular show of animal after animal after animal on the Wildlife Loop. The rec is almost always get there early or closer to sunset to increase your chances of seeing wildlife, but we got a bit of a late start and maybe arrived closer to around 10, so I was a bit worried we'd need to come back, but, nope, they were all out showing off ;-) I don't know the exact way we entered, but it was the best entrance I could tell considering most were on our side of the road. The only thing I recall is we intentionally drove further out (1 hr vs 30 mins from RC area) than needed to start our route, were on Iron Mtn Rd for about 7 miles before entering the park and ended at Mt Rushmore. Hope that helps.

Within minutes of entering the park, we saw a literal herd of bison and bison babies, some of whom were running alongside their mamas! I've never seen so many and in a line that kept going. I saw bison where they call them by their technical name, "bison," in Yellowstone which was great, but they were random or maybe in a chunk of 5-7. However, I probably couldn't count how many I saw in Custer there were so many and again, more all together vs broken up. Both park sightings were great, but different. A baby or two were even playing in a puddle. After we hung out for awhile taking pics from the car of them, we drove up a ways and there was an overlook with a steep, but short incline to the top and we didn't know what we'd see, but it appeared to be that same herd from a distance and up high vs at more eye level, which gave a really cool and different perspective.

On and off throughout the loop, one could see the prairie dogs, which to me are not that interesting and just big looking squirrels, but the holes they have all over is different and reminds me a bit if the Whacka Mole game. After 5 mins of wondering where the burros would likely be, voila, they appeared! It was constantly like that. It wasn't waiting, searching, breaking out the binoculars--it was animal after animal, with only brief intermissions between them. I knew the kids would love the burros and came prepared as I read it was allowed to feed them carrots or apples. They stick their heads in the car and show off those Mr. Ed type teeth that you want to call in to a dental office to arrange a cleaning for, but so cute. We and others were out petting them for a few too. For whatever reason don't get near and don't feed wildlife doesn't apply here (to burros only), which goes against what we typically follow and was kind of odd, but such a blast. We adjusted to say the least and they loved our carrots. I bought the cheap long kind and could break up 1 carrot a piece for the 3 kids along with us bigger kids to feed them. We even saw a mom nursing towards the end. Everyone loved this experience. We also saw one other animal by itself and I think it was maybe an antelope. Later, a random bison came out of no where as we were leaving the park and was charging at something...my husband said it looked like he was going at the back of our car, but I just saw it from the side mirror and it was at a far distance from us. Husband and 1 son said it got pretty close. It seemed to pop out of nowhere in the woods, but I barely saw it when they mentioned it and we were in constant motion, driving. We were the only car at the time so maybe our car or some other animal spooked it. That is not an animal you want to get too close to, though they look very furry, cuddly and tempting to hug.

We aren't big zoo people, so almost whenever I/we see wildlife in their natural environments, it is a feast for the eyes, exciting, and very appreciated. Whenever possible, my belief is animals should be free and I usually seek out places to see them roaming free. I have no idea if others would have the same experience, but again, ours started around maybe 10 am and it was a gorgeous, "perfect" weather day of mostly sunny and mid 70s.

Next up was Sylvan Lake. Don't let the first glance fool you. It isn't a flat, boring, easy hike around a lake. It is easy for a while, but it changes as you start disappearing behind the lake. Beautiful and more challenging than anticipated, which we were glad about as it made it more interesting to us. However, stepping down narrow rocky, somewhat steep areas is tricky with bad knees, ankles etc. It was very busy and lively so don't expect tranquil, but it was still peaceful in parts. I reviewed it separately for more details.

We then went through Needles Highway I think. It was scenic and we hit our first one way mountain tunnel here and saw some rock climbers at one parking spot. We then were on Iron Mountain Highway, which to me, wasn't as scenic as Needles, but had the "wow" factor of seeing Mt. Rushmore through a mountain tunnel that was certainly worth seeing from afar and was our first look at it before ending our day there. I was worried about what I read regarding those 2 highways with respect to mostly motion sickness and a bit maybe heights. Three of five of us can be prone to motion sickness and none of us got sick or even close to sick. My husband just drove slow--mostly the speed limit and we were fine. I hate being on mountain roads with steep drop offs on my side and there were maybe 2-3 dicey sections on Needles, but they were over pretty quickly.

All in all, absolutely wonderful park with rolling hills, some hiking trails, and fantastic wildlife! I totally get why others say this should have the distinction of a national park. I'm not sure if I'd think the same if we didn't hit the wildlife lottery, but we did. I hope others get to as well!

Visited here with the hubby while staying out on Needles Hwy. I wish we had more time to spend here. A beautiful lake with crystal clear water, giant rock formations to climb on and miles off hiking trails. Immaculately clean and well utilized by locals and travelers alike.

An exceptional place to visit. There are many great hikes if you’re so inclined, and not overly populated. The drive through through the park was beautiful

The best state park I've ever been to. Lots of short hike opportunities. The Pinnacles highway is fun and scenic. The wildlife loop is a must. Many " bison red dogs" and buffalo walking around your car (stay in and don't try to feed them). Had to return a second day to find the burrows. They hang out around the Bison visitor center around noon, are very friendly, and like carrots.

Great place to spend an afternoon or even several days if youre camping. Wish we had the time to do some kayaking

We visited Custer and Custer State Park for several days, and we enjoyed it so much we would like to return. Custer State Park was a joy, especially the Needles Road and the Wildlife Loop. Needles Road was breathtaking; we enjoyed it one day and went back for a second look, but it was closed for the season! The Wildlife Loop featured the annual roundup of bison, with tagging and branding the animals - fascinating to watch. We spent three full days in this area, with another day at Mt Rushmore. And the town of Custer offered very good hotel and eating. I would like to return to this area and combine the visit with Yellowstone. Be careful because some things (roads, businesses, museums) begin to close late September-October.

This is a must see if you’re in the area. We drove the Wildlife Loop around and saw all kinds of animals. The bison roam freely around the roads and we were able to see them close up. Very cool. We stopped at the Bison Center. It looks like a fairly new building. It was really nice and the gentleman working there can tell you approximately where the Bison and Burros are. That made it helpful to see them. There was a cost to enter the park but it is well worth it. It took us almost 2 hours to drive through. Don’t miss it.

We were hoping if we came in fall the colors would be beautiful and they didn’t disappoint. We started at Slyvian Lake, which is beautiful in its own right. We had the intention of climbing black elk peak but were grossly underprepared not having full cold weather gear. We skipped that and just enjoyed all the rock formations and beautiful drives on needles highway and iron mountain road. On wildlife loop we saw deer, antelope, prairie dogs, wild turkeys, the famous begging burros, and of course, the beautiful Sodak bison. The park is beautiful and makes you wish you could have seen the area in early 1800s where game was literally everywhere. It was 20.00 to get in per car but totally worth it. Great hiking, great scenery, great wildlife. Loved it.

This is a very large park. You need a few days to see everything it has to offer. There are many small tunnels on some of the loops so if you have a large vehicle like a bus or RV you may want to enter through the main entrances.

This was our first visit and boy we’re we wowed! The roads are well kept and the porta potties appreciated and spacious. We saw so much wildlife and we were thrilled. We saw buffalo, rams, deer, prairie dogs and antelope! I kept my eyes peeled for an elk but no luck! Great relaxing drive.

This park is speechless! My main focus were badlands and Mount Rushmore but Custer state park is beyond stunning!
National park pass not accepted but its just $25 per car valid for one week!
Their trails are numbered and super well maintained/ signaled.
Sylvan lake is beautiful with a lot of activities!
Trail #9 was surreal . What a view!
Then we did the little devils and started pouring rain and hail! Yet, an amazing adventure!
We weren’t too lucky with the wildlife loop but the road is still very beautiful.
Make sure you go to Norbeck Overlook and Needles road ! Just wow!

Not your typical state park!
To start with, Custer State Park is HUGE! It’s more like a national park in size and scope of amenities but being a state park you can bring your pets. Also, there are multiple campgrounds and multiple resorts so you can stay in any kinds of digs from primitive tent sites to RV hookups to lodges. Each overnight area has a different mix of amenities: fishing piers, boat rentals, restaurants and bars (some are privately owned), gift shops, bait shops, visitor centers, interpretive programs, even pools. We visited each campground area to check them out. Though we stayed at the Game Lodge Campground, we liked them all—it will be a toss up of which one we stay at next time because all are great choices! The camping reservation system is very easy to use and a must for summer. We went in early May so there were still some sites open.

Our campsite at Game Lodge Campground was back in, partial hook up (water and electricity). We have a truck and a 24 ft bumper pull but the camping area lanes were paved and well laid-out so we were able to turn around and back in with no problems. The driveways are gravel and the sites are grass with a picnic table and fire ring. It’s fairly compact in the middle—no trees or shrubs between the sites so it’s not private but you are not right next to each other either. The outside edges are more natural. Our campground offered interpretive programs but we didn’t have any that met our schedule. The visitor’s center was very good. There’s also an area where we were allowed to let the dogs run but it is not fenced so if your dog is a runner/explorer this is not the best spot. Ours stay close so it worked for us. Some of the visitor centers are not open outside of the summer season.

Watch out for bison—they are everywhere! Keep a bigger distance than you think you need. The interior of the park is dirt road which are bumpy 1.5-2 car widths, mostly level and passible by passenger car. We explored all the backroads which is our favorite thing to do. Lots of wildlife since it’s quiet back there. Goes through interesting scenery including the burn area. They were paving the roads while we were there (May 2022) which made for a butter-smooth ride along the park’s main loop. We visited all the other campgrounds and lakes, never did fish but there’s plenty of places to do so. We drove the Iron Mountain Rd and Needles Highway—very scenic with many places to stop to admire the view. Beware--there are multiple tunnels through the rock along these roads. We had a tape measure with us and were just able to fit with the side mirrors in! Since it was May and the park was not packed, we were able to get a turn to go through the hole fairly quickly but if you go in high season this will be a long wait—not only because it is single width but there’s also lots of people standing on the road taking pictures. Also lots of cars stopping to photograph the wildlife. Be patient, go slow, and keep an eye on the scenery-that’s the fun part of this park. All the staff is super knowledgeable and friendly.

Outside the park are lots of other wonderful sites to visit—Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, the Gordon Stockade Historic fort, and more. We spent 3 days and could easily spend more time. Even though we saw all the features, we will be coming back here for sure—it’s so beautiful. Timing-wise, we were there in the 2nd week of May. It was sunny but cool—long sleeves and sweatshirts during the day, puffy coats and heaters at night. The deciduous trees were still not fully leafed out so it still looks like Spring. Not many flowers yet. But there were baby bison all over which are adorable (and well protected by mom and aunties—beware!). But also the crowds were less so there were many times when we were the only visitors in site which was awesome!

The gem of our trip to SW ND! What a wonderful park, filled with diverse wildlife and stunning scenery. The wildlife loop was truly amazing as well as Needles highway and Sylvan Lake. Cannot say enough great things about Custer State Park. Stay more than one day.

The views are amazing. Traffic was light. The Needles Hwy was amazing with its views and tunnels. Lots of wildlife was seen.

Spent the afternoon in this amazing & enormous state park where we could see bison, prairie dogs & burros in their natural habitat.
It cost $20 for the day but really worth it and the pass would last 7 days.
I’m just overwhelmed how spectacular & relaxing the place is.

This park is huge. You like swimming? There's lakes. You like hiking? Multiple trails at multiple health levels. You like animals? Here's some buffalo and wild donkeys on the Wildlife Trail. You like scenic views? Go north to the Needles Highway.
Really, this place is great. Make an entire day of it. Just be prepared to wait a while if you eat at one of the lodges. The dining room was nearly empty and they still made us wait an hour to be seated. There was only one other table occupied!! Bizarre. And a quarter of their menu was unavailable...on Father's Day. I suppose they don't have the kitchen or server help but it's strange. Seems like a management issue if they've run out of caesar salad.

It's a large park with wildlife, unique one lane tunnels, and scenic Sylvan Lake. We fed the burros carrots and apples which was fun. It's also close to Mr. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial. It was the highlight of the area. Lots of visitor centers and park staff.

Very nice state park. $25 pass is good for 7 consecutive days; you can purchase the pass online & print it...very easy. We planned to spend 2 weeks in the area, but had an emergency which required returning home after day 1. So we only had time to drive the wildlife loop & see the bison & burros, which was scenic & enjoyable, worth it. We will be back.

Such a beautiful park! Make sure to drive the ‘needles highway’ and the wildlife loop. The facilities are mostly primitive and there’s no potable water sources. The pictures don’t do justice to this park.

You're welcomed by vast grasslands, dramatic rock formations, and the friendliest wildlife ever. I practically had a staring contest with a bison, and the scenic drives through Needles Highway felt like something out of a movie. What's truly magical is the feeling of freedom; you can hike, camp, or just sit by the lake and soak it all in. It's not just a park; it's a playground for outdoor enthusiasts. Whether you're into hiking, wildlife, or just craving some peace and quiet away from city life, Custer State Park is a must-visit slice of heaven.

Awesome experience with my friends and family well kept love the friendly folks at museum very educational loved it. It's a must for every family especially your children very interesting

Custer State Park was a great experience. From the North Loop and Sylvan Lake to the Bison Jeep Safari and Chuck Wagon cookout we had a super time. Our guide Juan was knowledgeable and we had a super time observing the bison herd. All park person elk were courteous and friendly.

What a fabulous surprise. If you are going to Fushmore, drive the needles Highway in this park. We loved it!

South Dakota Travelogue: Wildlife, Monuments, and Roadside Marvels
Custer State Park – Bison & Begging Burros

Friendly “Begging Burros” approach cars at Custer State Park’s Wildlife Loop. These tame-but-wild donkeys eagerly seek treats from visitors, making for a heartwarming roadside encounter. They’re descendants of burros once used for park tours and now roam freely – so accustomed to people that they’ll poke their heads into your car in search of snacks! In our experience, the herd consisted of one proud male (jack) and a harem of friendly females (many visibly pregnant). By late afternoon (around 4 PM), the burros seemed to lose interest in food – presumably full from a day of indulgence – so plan your feeding interactions earlier in the day for the best chance to meet these charming critters.
Practical Tips: If you do treat the burros, stick to healthy snacks like carrots or apple slices – not junk food. These docile donkeys don’t need sugary cookies or chips any more than we do. In fact, rangers told us some burros have even developed health issues (think donkey diabetes!) from too many tourist hand-outs. We came prepared with baby carrots and apples which were a huge hit It was adorable to watch: one lazy white burro happily munched a carrot from my hand while sprawled on the ground! We noted that the burros tend to gather by the road in the mornings and early afternoon; later in the day they wander off once their snack quota is met.
Beyond burros, Custer State Park’s wildlife absolutely wowed us. The park’s bison herd is one of the world’s largest, around 1,300 strong, and seeing them up close was breathtaking. We actually got caught in a “buffalo jam” as dozens of bison crossed the loop road – a true South Dakota traffic jam! Each fall, the park holds an annual Buffalo Roundup where horseback wranglers gather the herd for health checks. We learned the park takes excellent care of their bison. During the roundup, calves get vaccinations and ear tags for tracking age/health, cows get pregnancy tests, and excess animals are culled for auction. It’s all about responsible herd management and a “grass budget”only about 1,000 bison overwinter in the park so the grassland can sustain them.
Crazy Horse Memorial – Inspiring Monument & Museum
The Crazy Horse Memorial in progress. This colossal mountain carving – the world’s largest in-progress sculpture – left us awestruck. We arrived at the Crazy Horse Memorial and immediately felt the sense of history and dedication permeating the place. The sheer scale is unbelievable: the face of the Lakota warrior Crazy Horse is 87 feet tall (all four Mount Rushmore heads could fit in it!), and only the face and part of the upper body are complete so far. Standing on the viewing deck, we could see work crews on the mountain and outlines where the horse’s head and Crazy Horse’s extended arm will eventually emerge from the rock. It gave me goosebumps thinking about the ambition behind this project.
Don’t skip the museum and film! Inside the visitor complex, we spent a couple hours exploring the Indian Museum of North America and watching the orientation movie TWICE, The museum is fantastic – a sprawling collection of Native American artifacts and exhibits. It really deepened our understanding of Lakota culture and why Crazy Horse (the man) is so revered. The 20-minute film (shown in a cozy theater) is a must. It chronicles how sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski started the project in 1948 with the blessing of Lakota elders, and it includes historic footage of the early carving days We were amazed to learn the dedication and physical labor it took: in the beginning Korczak worked almost entirely alone, hauling a 50-pound box of dynamite up 741 wooden steps every day to drill. Talk about devotion – that’s equivalent to climbing seven flights of stairs with a heavy pack, day in and day out. The film also highlights Korczak’s famous reply when asked “When will it be finished?” – he joked, “My life expectancy is 50 years, you can’t rush a dream.” Indeed, here we are over 70 years later and the dream continues through his family.
I have to say, Crazy Horse Memorial moved me even more than Mount Rushmore. There’s an aura of passion and purpose here; it’s not federally funded, relying only on donations and admissions, so visiting feels like participating in its creation. Before leaving, we took a final look from the patio – the late-day sun lit up Crazy Horse’s solemn face carved in granite, and I felt a swell of hope that one day the monument will be completed. Whether it’s in our lifetime or not, being part of its story, even briefly, was incredibly special.
Practical Tips: Plan at least 2–3 hours here. Catch the hourly film “Dynamite & Dreams” (highly recommended for and browse the extensive museum. There’s a nice on-site restaurant (Laughing Water) if you need a meal. If you visit after dark in summer, they often have a laser-light show on the mountain. Also, don’t miss the model in the orientation center – it shows what the finished sculpture will look like (Crazy Horse on horseback) and you can compare it to the mountain. We left Crazy Horse Memorial feeling inspired by the blend of art, culture, and sheer tenacity on display.
Bear Country USA – Drive-Thru Safari Adventure

Black bears lounging as cars drive through Bear Country USA. This Rapid City wildlife park turned out to be one of the best drive-through zoos I’ve ever experienced – and I’ve done a few! Bear Country USA is essentially a 3-mile safari drive in your own car, winding among habitats full of North American animals. The highlight, as the name suggests, is bears, bears, bears! In fact, Bear Country boasts the largest captive population of black bears in the world. As we drove slowly, we were giddy spotting black bears everywhere – napping under trees, ambling across the road right in front of us, splashing in a pond. By the end, we must have seen close to a hundred bears (no exaggeration) – I had never seen so many in one place before! It was both thrilling and oddly peaceful to watch these big furballs up close from the safety of our vehicle.
The drive is very well organized. You enter through a gate and then proceed at a slow pace (windows up, doors locked – these are still wild animals). Early on, we passed enclosures with elk, reindeer, and bighorn sheep grazing practically next to the road. We even saw arctic wolves prowling in the distance. But once we hit the bear section, it stole the show. Bears were literally on the road shoulder, sometimes plopping down within a few feet of our car. We got incredible photos – one bear stopped to scratch its back on a log, another stood on hind legs. At one point a chubby bear plodded across the path, causing a brief “bear jam” as cars paused to let him pass. It was beyond worth the entry fee for that experience alone.
Importantly, the animals looked healthy and well-cared for. The park’s concept is to let you immerse in the animals’ habitat from your car, and it works beautifully. In addition to the drive-thru, there’s a walkthrough area called “Babyland” where younger animals and smaller critters (like bear cubs, foxes, and porcupines) are housed. We loved watching this year’s cubs tussle and play – absolutely adorable and a great way to stretch your legs after the drive. Bear Country USA was a surprise favorite for us;
Practical Tips: Go in the morning if possible, when animals tend to be more active (and lines of cars are shorter). Admission wasn’t cheap, but given the number of animals you see – especially the dozens of black bears – we found it worthwhile. Keep your windows closed (yes, those bears would hitch a ride otherwise!) and drive slowly. After the drive, park and visit Babyland to see the cubs up close from behind a fence – super cute. There’s also a gift shop and restrooms at the end. Overall, if you’re in the Rapid City area, don’t miss Bear Country USA – it’s perfect for families or any wildlife lover. We even ranked it above some larger wildlife parks because of the sheer novelty of being surrounded by so many bears in their element.
Wall Drug – Quirky Roadside Americana

The iconic exterior of Wall Drug Store in Wall, SD. No South Dakota road trip would be complete without a pit stop at Wall Drug, the legendary roadside attraction. After days of nature and monuments, stepping into Wall Drug was like entering a bustling Old West town meets theme park. The place is HUGE – a sprawling complex of shops, eateries, and oddities – yet it retains a kitschy, charming vibe. We knew we had to try the famous 5¢ coffee, and sure enough, at the cafe counter they were selling steaming cups of coffee for a nickel (they’ve kept this tradition since the 1930s). Sipping my ultra-cheap coffee, I wandered past the “Free Ice Water” sign (another Wall Drug claim to fame) and couldn’t help feeling transported to a bygone era of road.The walls are covered with historical photos, jackalope mounts, and quirky signs like “Beware of Attack Buffalo.” It’s wonderfully corny and fun.
Shopping at Wall Drug was a pleasantly surprising experience. They sell everything from Western wear, Black Hills gold jewelry, Native American crafts, to classic souvenirs. I ended up buying a pair of leather sandals (yes, they sell those too!) and was happy to find the prices quite reasonable – not the gouging you might expect from a tourist trap. In fact, Wall Drug’s origins are humble: it started as a small-town pharmacy that survived the Depression by luring travelers off the highway with promises of free ice water, and it grew into this kitsch empire. Knowing that backstory made me appreciate each over-the-top element even more. For instance, in the backyard there’s a giant mechanized T-Rex dinosaur that roars to life every few minutes, delighting kids (and amusing adults like me). There’s also a Travelers Chapel, a splash park, and a shooting gallery arcade – it’s an eclectic mix! We spent a good two hours exploring the nooks and crannies of Wall Drug. Every time we turned a corner there was another themed room or shop: a bookstore here, a fudge parlor there, an old-timey photo studio, even a pharmacy museum display honoring the store’s roots.
Practical Tips: Wall Drug is right off I-90 at the gateway to the Badlands, so it’s a perfect stop when driving across South Dakota. Look for the countless billboards for miles leading up to it – they’re part of the fun. Definitely try the 5¢ coffee (surprisingly decent) and grab a fresh homemade donut while you’re at it; both are almost a rite of passage. The nickel coffee and free ice water are more than gimmicks – they’re a nod to good old-fashioned hospitality that put Wall Drug on the map. There are multiple dining options inside, from a full café (with hot beef sandwiches and buffalo burgers) to an ice cream parlor. Budget plenty of time if you can; it’s easy to get lost in the maze of shops. If you have kids, the backyard courtyard will entertain them (watch out for the spitting dinosaur!). . This place is pure Americana – tacky in the best possible way – and it left us with stories we’ll be telling for years. As one of their signs says, “Where the heck is Wall Drug?” We found it – and it was glorious. Glad we made it!
Final Thoughts
Our South Dakota adventure was the perfect blend of natural beauty, wildlife encounters, cultural history, and roadside whimsy. From feeding carrots to gentle burros and feeling the ground shake under a bison stampede, to standing humbled before the Crazy Horse monument, to cruising among black bears and indulging in Wall Drug’s old-time charms – every stop offered something unique. The Black Hills and Badlands region truly has it all. If you crave an itinerary that can make you gasp in awe one moment and laugh the next, follow our trail through South Dakota’s wonders. Happy travels, and don’t forget – the coffee’s only five cents in Wall!

As we drove into the park, we caught a glimpse of some wild turkeys, and we thought that would be it but near the new bison visitor centre we were lucky to see many bison up close - such majestic animals.

We combined Mt Rushmore & Crazy Horse Memorial with our visit to Custer State Park and took a short scenic drive & enjoyed the beautiful scenery to Sylvan lake where we stopped & walked part of the path around the lake.
Later that day we drove part of Iron Mountain road & enjoyed some of the beautiful wooden bridges and stone tunnels then returned to Mt Rushmore for the evening historical show & lighting of the monument.
Another day after our visit to Crazy Horse Memorial we went back to Custer State Park & drove the Wildlife Loop. We saw one lone buffalo near the West entrance. We were lucky to happen on the Begging Burros gathered in a large parking lot & were able to watch them for quite a while until they wandered off into the pastures. They were so cute & there were several babies. Stopped at State Game Lodge for a look around & continued on. A few big horned sheep were grazing at roadside & young ones were trying to navigate traffic to cross the road to join them. A little further down the road we saw a large group of big horned sheep at a pull off parking area. After finishing the loop we continued on to Needles Highway with the tunnel at Needles Eye & the parking area there being the highlight!!! All of those beautiful rock spires soaring to the sky was somewhat like a cathedral. This area is very near Sylvan Lake & a shorter drive from that direction I think.

We only spent half a day here, but one could spend a week. We drove through the Wildlife trail and the Needles Loop. It was raining lightly, which I think kept the animals out of sight, but the views of the plains were still wonderful. The "needles", rock formations that jut upwards, were breathtaking. Just take the drive slowly as there is two wah traffic on narrow roads with some hairpin turns. There is so much more to do, but we loved the parts that we got to see.

My husband wanted to see Buffalo and this park delivered! We actually went the week before roundup, so all the buffalo were already brought in to certain areas which enabled us to see them without have to do a lot of searching. We saw many different animals too. We drove around the whole park and luckily the weather was wonderful. We chose to do a Jeep safari tour before we realized that the buffalo were going to be so easy to see, if it’s not roundup time I think it be harder to find them.

If you only have time to visit one of the many things to do near Mount Rushmore make it to Custer State Park. The park is the largest state park with 71,000 acres of land and is home to over 1,300 bison. I did not do any hike so can't comment much. I am not a hiking person, more like driving scenic roads, and the iron mountain road (Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway) is one.

The park is full of scenic drives and great hiking trails. I guess if ever there was a state park worthy of national park status, this would be it

Fee: You need to purchase a license when entering the park. It’s only $20 and is good for 7 consecutive days

Tip: When you drive the Wildlife Loop the buffalo might walk up to your car and start licking salt off it. They have been known to dent cars so be careful.

Custer State Park was just as interesting -- if not more so -- as Mt Rushmore.
There are three roads in/around the park. Be sure to do all three as each offers something slightly different.
The staff helped us plan the route. It took all day but was well worth it.
Here is the route:
From the visitor's center, cross over to Wildlife Road. The road is a big horseshoe. On the far end we saw a very large herd of buffalo. The buffalo were on both sides of us, in front and in back -- moseying along right beside our car (all four sides) as well as the cars in front and behind us.
At the end of that road, cross over to Needle Highway. There is not a lot at this end of the highway. You are just trying, at this point, to cross over to Iron Mountain Road.
At Playhouse Road, take a right. Then, at the end of Playhouse Road, take a left onto Iron Mountain Road. You will see all three tunnels on this section of Iron Mountain Road. Mt Rushmore is framed by the tunnels and, in some sections, the trees.
At the end of Iron Mountain Road, take a left and continue onto the start of Needle Highway. At Needle Highway take a left onto that road. There are two tunnels on Needle -- the first is the more impressive. Try to stop before you enter the first tunnel so you can really see what you will be doing. The rock will be right beside your car as you go through the tunnel. There is also a lake on this road.
You will repeat the last section of Needle Highway and then you are done.
If you want to go back to the visitor's center, take a left.
This is a do not miss attraction.

This was our 2nd trip to the park. This time we are empty nesters. Plenty of things to do and see no matter what activity level you are comfortable with. We enjoyed the wildlife and the miles of trails to hike. Not to mention the breathtaking views around every corner.

Took a tour bus to get here. Excellent forest and plain views. Saw the prairie dogs, begging mules, prong horn antelope, and a whole herd of bison. Visited the Bison center and gift shop. Don’t be in a hurry when you get here. Speed limit is slow for a reason. Them bison will cross the road when they want to.

We really enjoyed seeing the bison UP CLOSE and personal!! Take time to drive the whole wildlife drive and when you get surrounded, remain in your car and enjoy the sights.

Not sure what I can say except that we needed more time here. Lots to do and lots to see but I feel like this is how many of these parks are. You get to see some of it, maybe a lot of it, but, unless you work here, and are just traveling through you'll wish you had just a bit more time to explore.

First night stayed at Sylvan Lodge. Gab in the dining room was fabulous. Customer focused and accommodating.

Subsequent nights stayed at Game Lodge. Chevy at front desk helped remove issues and make it a great experience. Very focused on us! Leigh in the dining room was fabulous! Made the evening fun and a great experience. Liz was our safari tour guide. Very knowledgeable and took us “off road” to ensure we saw all the local wildlife! Great experience all around. Custer state park is a gem!!!

So much to do and see in this state park. I will include a photo of the map of the Custer State Park. Excellent roads and views, several places to stop for a meal, lakes, hiking , fishing, boating, etc. Easy to spend several days in this area. I believe it was $20.00 per automobile, and the pass is good for a week.

Custer State Park is an iconic place to visit in South Dakota and you should not underestimate the size of it.
The entrance fee is for a full week and you could easily visit every day as there is so much to see and do.
The scenery is spectacular and the are numerous hiking and gentler walking trails for all levels of fitness. Plenty of opportunities for spotting wild life as well as horse riding, various sports or just sitting in the sun.
We enjoyed driving along the wild life loop where we saw plenty of buffalo close up as well as other animals such as prairie dogs and burros.
The weather was very hot when we visited but we did a couple of hikes including one at Sylvan Lake. We also stopped numerous times when driving through the park just to enjoy views and for photo opportunities.
The hikes are marked with levels of difficulty and approximate timings but we found these to be very generous and we always completed them a lot quicker than suggested.
We could easily have spent a lot longer in the park but we were only staying in nearby Custer for 4 nights and there are other attractions that you can't miss such as Mount Rushmore & Crazy Horse memorial.
If you are considering a trip to South Dakota make sure you allow sufficient time and put Custer state park on the list!

This is a beautiful state park. Can spend all day just driving around and seeing all the animals and scenery took young grandkids and they loved seeing everything they saw a bison running down a street and even got to pet the donkeys

This is a really beautiful, diverse park with a lot of nice facilities. We drove the wildlife loop and didn’t really see very much wildlife, but that was probably because it was mid-afternoon on a hot day. I wish we’d been able to squeeze in a morning or evening drive on the wildlife loop. We did see a lot of prairie dogs and a couple of lone bull bison. The bison center was very nice and had a lot of interesting exhibits. We also drove the Needles Highway to see the Spires and that was pretty cool, too. My recommendation to fully enjoy the park would be to visit in the morning or evening and not in the middle of the day!

Custer State Park was, hands down, the best state park experience we have had anywhere in America. So many reviewers have written so much, all I can add is a few tips.
-Go early. Always a good travel maxim, but when viewing wildlife, especially so. The attendant who sold us our ticket summed it up, “You’ll see lots of critters at this hour!”
-Head right to the Bison Center. Not only does it have great explanatory exhibits, but you’ll see tons of bison.
-See Sylvan Lake in the morning light.

If you visit Wind Cave, and feel bad because you didn't see any buffalo, keep driving up the road to Custer State Park and you'll get your fill. We drove up 87 out of Wind Cave National Park all the way to 16A and then over to Custer, and really enjoyed the buffalo experience. A couple of times we even had to stop the car because the buffalo were walking across the road...or just standing in the road like they were posing for pictures. They look friendly enough, but don't get too close! Hundreds of buffalo along the way (all along route 87). The park itself is also very pretty.

Loved Custer State Park. Beautiful. Loved the prairie dogs, bison and donkeys. We saw prong horns, mountain goats, marmots, and coyotes. Sylvan Lake is beautiful. We drove all the scenic drives. All I can say is WOW.

Wonderful hiking. Black Elk peak is challenging but well worth it. Also Sunday Gulch Trail. And don't miss the Bison Center. Very informative and incredibly well laid out.

Actually a beautiful park...but:
In summer, thousands of bikers flock there, and not the sensible and orderly kind. The park courts them so much that drivers don't even get parking space (everything is allocated to bikers). Good food in the lodges? Not a chance - alcohol in public areas, on the other hand, is welcome. The lack of clothing in some places is probably not suitable for families with children...
It's a real shame about the beautiful park. When we asked, we were told that the bikers bring in a lot of money...

Custer state park is an amazing state park. We recently visited in 2024, but our first trip was in 2014. There are tons of wildlife opportunities, lots of hiking trails, and many beautiful views to see. It is probably the best part of the black hills in my opinion.

You can just drive around and see quite a bit (scenic and wildlife) or stop and do short walks, or longer hikes. We did all three scenic drives, saw wildlife, and did the hike around sylvan lake. All great. We did space out these activities over a few days but wish we had more time and energy for hiking. It seems like we did a lot, but there was still so much more.

We saw lone buffalo here and there, but we didn't actually encounter the herd. Maybe needed a detour to see them the days we were there, but ask a ranger if it's high on your list!

The Jeep Tour was excellent and worth the price as driver narrated on the wildlife and plants and the park with its history. Was after the bison roundup so all but a few were in the corral. The Bison Center was fabulous on explaining all about the bison.

It was a beautiful place. Saw prarie dogs, bison, deer, and several other animals. It was busy and it costs $25 for one week to enter the park. I'd recommend checking it out. Give the bison plenty of distance, don't end up on the news!

Very nice. Absolutely worth visiting if you take your time
Beautiful views and the possibility of spotting animals
You pay to enter but it's worth it

Go here! The drive through Needles eye is a must do! So much beautiful fun for even those novices afraid of cliffs and heights. The road is very good. Have a slow, scenic, safe ride.

My husband and I stayed inside the park at the Custer State Lodge, so made drives through the park every day. We saw bison, wild turkeys, wild burros, deer, and many other animals. We had a great stay here and thought the park was great.

We drove through the park not sure what to expect. The scenery is just beautiful, somehow reminded us of Austria a bit. We saw lots of animals on the wildlife loop!

We took Needles Highway into the park, which was breathtaking!!! Custer is gorgeous. So much to do and see. If you are pressed for time, take the Wildlife Loop. You will see buffalo, wild burros, deer, prairie dogs and other animals. It's just beautiful! So glad we did it.

The entire park was absolutely beautiful. Clean and pleasant to hike easy to moderate trails with or without walking sticks. The birds were like no other. All kinds! The roads are winding, adding adrenaline to our trip. Bison roam the lands.

Beautiful park with lots of wildlife. The loop where the Buffalo herds were located is unpaved (and dusty) but not difficult to drive. We saw two herds of Bison. One from a distance and another all around us when we happened on a herd crossing the road. Drive slow and keep the windows up and you'll get to see them up close. Wonderful park!

We returned to the area this summer. We enjoyed Needles Highway, got to see buffalo, prairie dogs, and burros. We also swam in Sylvan Lake. Loved every minute of our visit. This is a must if you are staying near the Black Hills! Simply magnificent!

Driving, hiking, horseback riding or four wheeling, this is a beautiful place loaded with wildlife. The wildlife loop was amazing. We never encountered so many different critters.

In the middle of the Black Hills is Custer State Park which has a little bit of everything the Black Hills have to offer. The Black Hills are known for there National Monuments and Parks; however it is this state park that really is the heart of the Black Hills. Most people will simply experience the eastern end with the Wildlife Loop. Unfortunately when we visited, there were no animals. Still we enjoyed the scenery of rolling plains at the edge of the forested hills.

However, the park has more if you continue to drive west. Here you go more into the granite mountains and forested hills. You get to drive through the Black Hills needles, granite spires that provided the inspiration for Rushmore. Finally in the very NW corner of the park you reach a beautiful lake setting at Sylvan Lake. Here you can hike to see the cathedral spires and Black Elk Peak, the highest point in South Dakota.

Wherever you do, no trip to the Black Hills is complete without a visit to this park. You will find some great experience here in the heart of the Black Hills.

Custer State Park is probably the best state park I have visited. There are a lot of things to do and see. The scenery is great and the primary roads through the park are in good condition. The wildlife loop road is narrower than the primary roads but also in good shape and easy to drive. There are minor side roads that run off the wildlife loop. These are classified as gravel roads but while there is gravel they travel like well maintained, hard packed dirt roads. Even these roads are easy driving and you don’t need a special type vehicle or special tires. These dirt roads are even narrower than the wildlife loop road but wide enough to carefully pass vehicles going in the other direction. The wildlife loop is a must do activity. I recommend a half day to fully enjoy your outing. If you go on the gravel/dirt roads your car will be very dirty when you finish. In dry weather it is dusty and in wet weather it is muddy. We saw large herds of bison, pronghorns, prairie dogs, burrows, and deer.
The Needles Highway is somewhat hair raising to drive the winding narrow road. The scenery is stunning. You drive right among the rocky cliffs and “needle” formations. It is another must do thing.
The park in general is very well maintained. They have a chuck wagon dinner available (for an extra fee) and it is worth the price. If you want to do this you need to make reservations well in advance. They also have horse riding again for an extra fee and you need reservations. The chuck wagon dinner provides entertainment by a cowboy band that was quite good. The horse riding is fun and the wranglers did an excellent job. They have several different rides to choose from depending on your experience level and the duration of the ride. We took the two hour ride and the scenery was great. The ride is just head to tail single file riding so if you want to have a serious ride this is probably not for you, For us since we are seldom anywhere with horses it was nice. We enjoyed it a lot.
We stayed in a cabin at Blue Bell. The cabin was surprisingly nice for a state park. It seems to have recently refreshed. It even had a wood burning fireplace. The beds were comfortable. There is a small kitchen area. Bring whatever food you want to cook with you. While they average building they call a grocery store, it actual is more of a souvenir or junk shop. They have snack type items but no meat or eggs, etc.
overall if you are an outdoors person, you will enjoy the park.
Hint: No matter when you go, take clothes for all types of Weather. We were there in mid July but one night it was in the forties and the next day the high was 54.

After we saw Mt Rushmore, we headed to see and drive through Custer State Park. What an amazing drive! From the beautiful rolling hills, to the deer/bison/donkeys we saw, it was a memorable experience! Make sure to take the Wildlife loop drive.

This park has lots to offer. The fishing in the lakes is great! We did lots of hiking in the park as well as the scenic byways and the wildlife loop. Pack a picnic lunch to enjoy either on the trail or on your drive. The begging burros is the best bring carrots. Lots of other wildlife including bison, mountain goats and pronghorn. Will definitely be back!

I hope our visit of Custer State Park is a one-off experience. Our first day visiting we drove the Wildlife Loop which was half closed for some reason. Then on the map we saw the Bison Corral which looked cool but ultimately is still under construction and not open to the public. The frustrating part is that is still listed on the map and the staff didn't inform us that it wasn't open.

The second day we visited we stopped by the visitor center trying to get some advice on where to camp and the visitor center staff, we spoke with couldn't really provide any helpful info. We then went to Little Devil Tower which had conflicting signs whether back county camping was permitted or not. The maps they provide said to camp around the French River area however the visitor center staff said to avoid that area.

Custer State Park is probably great in the summer when its fully staffed and has the staff around with the knowledge that we needed. However, that wasn't our experience this time. We were left trying to work with either dated or wrong information which left a sour taste in our mouth.

The fireworks show from the local park in Custer the town fire department goes all out with things fore trucks and all of their vehicles are lights and sirens until they get to where they set off the fireworks then the show starts. It's 14 minutes long .

Custer State Park is a hidden gem!!! It is maintained beautifully and respects nature and all the animals. Bison everywhere - amazing!! There is so much to see and do especially if you are a nature lover. We originally booked 4 nights but extended one more night and really could have stayed a few more! Cannot wait to go back!

Custer State Park is Buffalo country…, if you want to see a large herd or just a few close the the road, try highway 16A. It’s a nice loop through the Black Hills.

We have stayed in Custer before and were so excited to come back after 10 years. Custer has so many iconic things to do and see along with wonderful wildlife. Check out the Bison, the lakes, Mount Rushmore, and Crazy Horse. That is just a shortlist of things to do. There is a small town to shop and eat as well.

Sad to see that Custer State Parks do not recycle. There are individual pails but they throw it in the same dumpster. They do not recycle.

We had such a fun trip driving through the park. Not long after we started we saw a herd of buffalo, one walked right along our vehicle. Next as we were driving two bulls come walking down the road. As we continued we saw the donkeys and excited the vehicle to go feed carrots to the donkeys. Make sure you stop before entering the park to get some carrots. We visited the brand new Bison Center. Nice! We also saw prairie dogs. The scenery was beautiful.

Custer State Park was great!! Driving thru and seeing deer, Buffalo on the wildlife loop was awesome and hiking a few of the trails was great!!

We did the Wildlife loop and not a single animal seen. Thankful we saw this while area and more back in 2018. Weather just didn’t cooperate.
We did stop at Sylvan Lake, go through Needle Eye tunnel & a few others, along Needle Hwy and lots of other areas in Custer. The $25 park sticker purchase is good for 7 days. If we were here longer we would try again. It’s a beautiful area especially when weather is good & clear. Being higher up in the mountains the misty, rainy weather along with fog blocked just about any views. Thankfully I still remember how good it looked 7 years ago. Worth a visit.

This was an amazing trip. We spent 11 days camping and loved it. We are already talking about a return trip.

This place was so cool. There was beauty everywhere you looked. There were some very skinny roads & bridges that scared the daylights out of us. We barely made it through. There was wildlife & bison all over. There was plains, hills, valleys, mountains & you name it. It's beautiful & worth seeing.

Unfortunately, our visit was during some road repairs on the main wildlife loop road, but part of the road was still accessible and we were able to see quite a bit including bison, proghorns, and lots of prairie dogs. It was well worth the visit if you are in the area though be aware there is an entrance fee not covered by a National Parks Pass.

I realized they did not have accessible bathrooms. Only the info center has a bathroom, and we were told it was approximately a two and a half hour drive. I was very disappointed.

We spent a day (5 hours) visiting Custer State Park. Sykvan Lake and Needles Highway were our two main attractions due to their popular scenic drive. In addition to the beautiful drive along Route 87, Sylvan Lake was the first lake we visited. The lake was beautiful and peaceful, with rock formations surrounding the lake. There were people boating and fishing at the lake. After Sylvan Lake, we drove along the beautiful Needles Highway. The Needles Eye Tunnel was something you don't want to miss taking pictures.

I drive to/from Indiana to Montana twice a year and always go through Rapid City. My sister suggested we spend a day and night in Custer State Park and I am forever grateful! We stayed in one of the cabins in the 5 series along Legion Lake. Wonderful! Clean, kitchen stocked with all utensils. Only complaint..no Wi-Fi or cell service at the cabin. Have to go to lodge or general store. The hikes around the lake were provided a new view with every turn and Needles Highway is nothing sort of breathtaking! We brought our own food, so can’t comment on the meals. This State Park is a MUST if you are traveling in or through South Dakota.

My friends and I did a road trip across SD, and Custer State Park was one of our stops. We all loved it! We hiked the Sunday Gulch Trail, which was challenging but scenic and well worth it. We also visited the Bison Center, which was really interesting, and finally, we drove along the Wildlife Loop. Bison surrounded our car, prairie dogs yipped at us from the side of the road, white-tailed deer leapt across the road, and burros gathered near the Bison Center. Custer SP, with its amazing scenery and wildlife, is a place I'd love to return to (much more so than Mount Rushmore).

We visited Custer State Park the last week in May. It was fantastic. We went one day and drove the Wildlife Loop. We saw bison, prairie dogs, antelope and burros. Seeing the bison and prairie dogs up close was amazing. We went back another day and did Iron Mountain Road and Needles Highway. The scenic views were so good. We were in the Black Hills 3 days and it was one of my favorite things we did. I highly recommended.

Truly an outstanding park, maybe even to add to the NPS portfolio. Almost seemed like there was something for everyone. It was like going on a safari for buffalo viewing. Going along the wildlife trail shortly before dusk there was no shortage of wildlife to be seen, even at times almost touchable from your car (and let me tell you there were some morons who almost tried to do so – the buffalo don’t care about you). The vistas of the rolling hills were spectacular. Quick access tip: If you want the easier way in, drive from the east highway, though if you want the far more serpiginous (challenging) route come in from the northwest. I’d recommend the former. This is a park well worth returning to more than once, including doing some camping here in the future.

This park rivals the National Parks and it is a MUST see! Some suggested we go there and spend a couple days. We spent two nights there just before the buffalo roundup. We took a marvelous Jeep tour; we not only went with the buffaloes we saw so many different species of wildlife. We stayed in the park. there were several options but we selected the Game Lodge!

Driving through the spires was an amazing experience.

Game were running in the front yard of our Lodge...

Amazing experience!

We actually went in 2023 but that was not an options here.

Great visit in December. Park was virtually empty and teaming with wildlife. Tons of Bison, Deer and Goats to be seen. Visitor center open along with Creekside lodge and a select cabins. Bring snacks and have plenty of gas, nearest facilities are in the town of Custer. One of my favorite parks in the US.

This review is only for Twin/Twin room. I pd $125.00 for this room that didn't even have a table or lamp next to the bed because there wasn't any room. The sheets were the cheapest available; the mattress needed to be replaced; the blanket was so small and scratchy material(disgusting); the coverlet looked like it was an old curtain. The coverings barely covered the bed. There was only one pillow per bed so it was impossible to sit up in bed to read or watch tv. Only one person could watch tv because the other bed had no capacity to see the tv. And of course, you can't read in bed because there is no light. The sink was in the bedroom, not for style, but because there was absolutely no room in the bathroom. The shower was so small and the glass door was broken so it just sort of waved back and forth. Probably dangerous if it fell off the top track. This room (and again I'm not reviewing all the rooms, just the "Twin/Twin" room) is disgusting and a dive. Don't stay here. For the price that the lodge is charging, it should have nice accommodations.

This huge park is amazing- easily on the same level as a National Park. Our two favorite hikes were Cathedral Spires Trail and the hike up to Black Elk Peak (which provides views of the Cathedral Spires). Our favorite drive was the Wildlife loop, where we saw lots of bison, pronghorn, and prairie dogs. Don’t forget to bring carrots to feed the ‘begging burros’ on this road. If you want to know where the wildlife is, stop at one of the Visitor Centers or the Bison Center before your drive. Each of these places has a map of the park that’s marked with the last known location of each type of animal. This was very helpful to us, since we wanted to see the burros and they were actually hanging out on one of the side roads rather than the main Wildlife loop.

Tough to describe just how amazing the wild life loop drive thru Custer Park is. Very winding, hilly and with views of mountains, grass lands, forests. There are many places to pull over for scenic views or a picknik. Then there is the wild life - often times you will find bison, sheep, deer, burros, etc. in or on the road. The herd of Burros are very tame and stand at the side of the road waiting for people to stop and pet them. The Bison may stand in the road and just stare at you. However - do not recommend you try to feed or pet them. They tolerate people, but, that doesn't mean they like them. When comparing this to a drive thru Yellowstone Park - the Custer Wildlife Loop is WAY more fun and scenic.

I really enjoyed seeing all the wildlife. The donkeys were so sweet and friendly. We only saw one buffalo up close, which wqs somewhat disappointint, but still cool. There were a lot of cool places to explore on foot. I am excited to go back and explore more.

We enjoyed our drive through the park, especially the wildlife loop. We visited the next to last week in October and many things were already closed. Did see Sylvan lake, but because of weather the day we were there, was not able to hike any of the trails that we had hoped to. Needles drive was already closed for the season. We did enjoy the wildlife loop, though about halfway through the road was closed. Did see lots of bison right up beside the road, burros and prairie dogs. Was an enjoyable drive. Would like to do again when we could spend more time hiking some of the trails.

Beautiful park. Slow down and LOOK; don't race from place to place and you will see the beauty of the Needles, the enormity of the mountains and the vastness of Ponderosa pines in one park. Elk, mule deer, whitetail, bison, prairie dogs...and mountain goats (which we didn't see). Oh, and the burros which are obnoxious freeloaders but popular with the public. I love these parks where you are not promised entertainment. Just look around and imagine being one of the first to cross it and try to describe the panorama.

Beautiful and one of the highlights of our trip! The buffalo and the lovely, friendly donkeys were so much fun. Sylvan lake is peaceful and gorgeous. Needles highway is unique. Wonderful place!

The vast amounts of natural scenery and beautiful rocks, mountains, valley’s and abundant buffalo, mountain goats, creek beds and small lakes makes this a must do in the Mt Rushmore atea

This was a great experience with a variety of views and memories. From being surrounded by Bison and the "begging mules" on the rolling plains of Wildlife Loop (among other creatures) to the towering rock formations on "Needle Drive" this is well worth spending a day or two enjoying the natural beauty.

I give Custer State Park the highest rating possible. It is an absolutely gorgeous state park (especially in the fall!). BUT I was very disappointed in the Buffalo Roundup. This was our first year to view the roundup. We knew the drive to the south parking lot would be a long, slow one, and it was! We left Hill City at 5:45 a.m. - stop and go traffic with periods of having to shut off the car engine, we were idling so long. We finally arrived at the South Parking Lot a few minutes after 8:00, and set up our lawn chairs. We got as close to the fence as possible, because we were told they would run the herd very close to the fence. After two hours of waiting, we were told the herd was cresting the hill. So we gathered close to the fence, waiting for them to thunder by. Reviews in past years said the herd was huge - over 1,000 head, but this herd seemed very small this year - a few hundred, maybe. And they were a few hundred yards from the fence. It was hard to get any good pictures, and there was no thundering of hooves!! We waited in traffic and on the field for about 4 hours for about 2 minutes of buffaloes running by!

The best part of the experience was talking with people from all over the United States waiting with us. We even got to watch a gentleman get on one knee and propose to his girlfriend! My recommendation to anyone thinking about going to the roundup is to arrive a day or two early and drive through the Park. You'll see many, many herds of buffalo close to the road as they are being gathered up for the annual drive, and you'll be able to get many good buffalo pictures! Again the park is beautiful and worth the 30 dollar charge (which lasts a week).

Wildlife Loop road, Needles Highway, Iron Mountain road and so many other beautiful places to visit it's difficult to list all of them. I love the short hike around Sylvan Lake and the other lakes. This park is just great!!

Nice state park, with great rock formations, attractive hihgways and wildlife. There is a herd of 1400 buffalo in the park!
The downside: it's crowdy and the entrace fee ($20.00) is high.

Custer State Park is a must when you are in the area. It was the highlight of my trip to South Dakota. Driving Needles Highwayand the Wildlife Loop are musts. Also Sylvan Lake area is a great place to stop and take in all the beauty.

People travel completely across the US to see National Parks that aren’t as nice as Custer State Park. Great wildlife views from the wildlife loop, terrific drives through the mountains in the northern area. Don’t miss the Buffalo Roundup in the fall if you’re in the area, well worth it.

We did the Needles Hwy and Iron Mountain Road - both well worth seeing, great scenic highways. We didn't see any buffalo here, but had seen enough that we didn't miss them.

I just wroke a review of the Game Lodge breakfast buffet, on leaving I talked to them hostess about the buffet being cold here basic reposnse was that it sometimes happens late in the breakfast time period. When I googled there time it was 7 am to 10 am we jot to our table at 9:15. She said they must have forgot to update the website. She will let the manager know. I all most 100 percent she didn't care about the quality of todays buffet. Gary W

Custard state park is really nice. Up in the black hills and prairies. Known as the summer whitehouse for Calvin Coolidge. There are plenty of campgrounds, cabins, lodges, and RV parking. The main attraction is the Buffalo herds. And the Needle road. We recommend doing both. You can do them on the same day.

A beautiful state park with some dramatic twisting roads through all kinds of rock features. Also Bison galore. Great place to spend the day.

Custer State Park is the surprise you didn’t know you needed! It’s on the way from Grand Tetons to Badlands Nat’l park! The jagged rocks and views are unexpected , but necessary. Sylvan lake is spectacular with the rock formations and reflections! The wildlife loop is exciting, and like the badlands, the prairie dogs are the bomb! 💥 Bison, Pronghorn goat-antelope, mule deer, Elk, etc! A national treasure among state parks!

Custer State Park was the highlight of our travels through the Black Hills of South Dakota. We saw lots of wildlife - bison, burros, prairie dogs and pronghorn. We saw absolutely gorgeous scenery on the Needles Highway and at Sylvan Lake. We’re not hikers, but the Needles Highway would be a hiker’s paradise. We even saw a rock climber atop one of the peaks. Bring binoculars. Do not skip Needles Highway! We liked it so much that we visited the park on two consecutive days. We entered the park from the Blue Belle entrance (west side) on the first day and did the Wildlife Loop and Needles Highway. On the second day, we entered from the East entrance via the Iron Mountain Road and drove the Wildlife Loop again. We’re so glad we visited the park twice. We didn’t see burros on the first day, so we were thrilled to see them on the second day. Custer State Park is an absolute must-see on a trip to South Dakota!

Wasn't sure what to expect - only wanted to catch a glimpse of some buffalo. Traveling along the Wildlife Loop did not disappoint. I traveled one direction and then turned around to travel back the way I came to capture a different vantage point of the fabulous scenery and wildlife.

Saw herds of buffalo, horses and deer. Such a treat to see the animals in their natural habitat roaming the prairies and delaying traffic with their lazy strolls across the roads.

We were advised to book a jeep tour here and we were not disappointed! Saw buffalo, an antelope and prairie dogs. Our guide, Wayne, did a fantastic job not only showing us the animals but giving us a history of the park and how things operate. Don't miss this!

As others have stated, this Park has more the scope of a National Park than what one usually associates with a State facility.
Being early May, we were very appreciative of a lower visitor traffic flow; allowing for slower speeds and easy pulling over to enjoy views and wildlife, without impeding others.
On our first day we explored the Wildlife Loop Road, and were rewarded with lengthy and upclose viewing of the magnificent bison.
We also traveled the Iron Mountain Road, eventually leaving the Park and experiencing the iconic single lane tunnels that frame Mt Rushmore. Both inside and outside the Park we were thankful of the minimal traffic, as the narrow roads and sharp mountain cutbacks may well be a bit uncomfortable navigating with large amounts of vehicles present. Everywhere along the route, the views and scenery were quite impact full.
On our 2nd visit, we first headed to Sylvan Lake. Parking was readily available; so we strolled, and relaxed a bit, taking in the pleasant surroundings.
We then explored Needles Highway, with its amazing stone spires and wonderful vistas; again enjoying a leisurely pace, and ample opportunity to pull over and take-in the splendor.
As with any Park of this scope, 2 days will barely scratch the surface of what there is to experience. The inhabitants of South Dakota certainly have a resource of which to be proud.

Beautiful scenic drive. Lots of wildlife, Buffalo, Prairie Dogs, and Burros and deer. Lots of turnouts for scenic viewing. Needles Hwy access.

We did the whole circuit of Custer State Park. We saw the Bison, the wild burrows, prairie dogs and small deer

Wonderful park with lots of amenities. Good visitor centers with helpful rangers and volunteers. Unfortunately we were there during the time of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the park was overrun with motorcycles some of whom were not well behaved on the roads! Would like to visit the park again but not early August!

Lots of trails have ticks with no warning. “Park rangers” don’t even mention this and neither do the signs at the trails.

We visited Mount Rushmore and the area in 1993 with four kids. We didn’t have time for Custer so wanted to try it this year. It was a beautiful drive and the scenic wildlife drive was a Buffalo drive. Also saw burrows. The pace of driving was easy. The lady at the gate was delightful and helpful. $20 well spent!

Beautiful lakes, lots of trails, wild burros..what more could you want? Bring carrots to feed the burros, they are very friendly.

We had no idea how nice this park is with so much to see and do. We stayed in three different lodges (all great). Expanded our trip from 2 days to 4 days and took advantage of the many options including the Jeep safari tour and chuck wagon dinner. Just a short drive from Mt Rushmore and Wind Cave Nat'l Park.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! We originally thought the $20 entrance fee was a little steep but we got our money's worth. We saw tons of buffalo and even more prairie dogs. They were so stinkin' cute! The best part was when we saw the herds of buffalo crossing the street (of course we stopped to let the pedestrians cross) and then saw them run to catch up with the others. Some were as close as the actual side of the road grazing and allowed us to take pictures. The scenery was gorgeous. I wish we'd had time to kayak or take a hike but driving through was wonderful. They also gave information on how they're protecting the buffalo and replenishing the population in the park.

Not a good experience. Had to stop two times for road construction. These stops lasted 20 and 30 minutes. We saw 4 bison laying down. A big waste of time and $20.

Unreal - this is a must see in SD!! Comparable to the awe of Bryce Canyon. We broke up the different rides in t the park over a few days. We drove the Iron Mountain Road in the evening and it was so cool to see Mount Rushmore pop out after going through the tunnels. The next day we drove Needles Highway and took close to 1000 pictures. We stopped often and just had so much photo fun together as a family. Ending at Sylvan Lake, we took a nice hike around the lake. Wished we could have stayed to swim or kayak a bit here. Also, fun fact… this was the location for the scene in National Treasure 2 where they find the entrance to the Lost City of Gold. It was really cool to see the rocks!

The next morning, we headed onto the Wildlife Loop Trail hoping to see some animals. There were a few bison and some burros hanging out and of course the prairie dog towns were super fun!

We are hoping to come back here again someday. I’m dying to get out on a kayak at sunset in Stockade Lake. That’s another gem to drive around if you have time!

The next day

Custer Park is a beautiful park. We got to see bison, pronghorns, and prairie dogs. We took the Wildlife Loop Road and stopped at State Game Lodge for a drink on our way out of the park. The Rangers are very knowledgeable, helpful and friendly.

I do not recommend the animal loop road because we did not see ANY BISON AT ALL. We saw donkey and birds and some prairie dogs.

Beautiful with plenty of hiking. Lodging in the park is pricy but decent. Wildlife Loop Rd is worth driving! Baby bison! Just an overall good experience.

Honestly, weren't even planning on visiting this place, but got forced into it due to a neighboring road closure. The choice was go through the park or backtrack two hours to get where we wanted to go. $40 for our two motorcycles just two ride through the park for what should've taken 30 minutes, but due to traffic wound up being an hour and fifteen minutes. Are the Needles cool? Yes, but there are a lot of scenic areas just as nice, if not better, that aren't held hostage to a $20 per vehicle entry fee. Do yourself a favor and just run the tunnels and pigtails up on 16A by Rushmore. They'e more fun, more scenic, and have less traffic all without having to pay extra. Skip Custer and the Needles.

This State Park rivals many National Parks. See prairie dogs and bison along with some spectacular scenery. Don’t forget to drive needles scenic byway.

Beautiful park! You have to check out the newly opened bison center and corrals. Easy tutorial on the bison and the happenings of them. There also was a food truck on site with delicious home made smoked brisket, pork, or ribs.

This state park is a "must do" for anyone visiting the Black Hills of South Dakota. We got to see antelope, bison, and hundreds of prairie dogs while doing the Wildlife Loop. We also saw the begging burros.

Don't miss driving the Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road. Sylvan Lake is another "must do". Walk the paths around the lake. It's beautiful.

When you pay at the entrance (I don't remember how much it costs), you have entry for a week. I would suggest going early in your vacation. If you don't get to see much wildlife when you are there, you can come back later in the week.

This park is $20 for a carload. We did the 17 mile Wildlife Loop and saw a herd of buffalo. There is a new Buffalo Visitor Center on it which is nice. We also did the Needles Eye Tunnel which is very cool. We drove through some of the Iron Mountain road at night. We had only 4 hours to spend in the park so we didn’t have time to do that in the day. Get a free Black Hills map as the roads can be confusing

Each September Custer State Park has a Bison Roundup which drawes over 20,000 people. Custer State Park can sustain 1500 Bison. Cowboys and Cowgirls round up the bison and herd them into corrals.
They all get a health check and vaccines if needed. Some are sold to people who have ranches and want to increase their herd and some are sold for commercial food. Bison 🦬 has less fat than regular beef.
It is amazing to see so many bison in one place. If you go, check out the UTube of the 2024 roundup and their web site will tell you what to bring. It’s a long day. Waiting in car lines to park. They have plenty of volunteers to help. Take water and snacks. They have a breakfast at 6:30 AM But food runs out quickly. People line up in their cars at 4 AM, sleeping until the gates open at 6:30 AM. We were in line for 2 hr. To park. Take a blanket to sit on if you’re flying in and don’t have chairs to sit on. There is a lot of info on the web site. It is a one time experience to see.

One of the best parks I have ever been to. It has so many things to do and scenic areas to experience. The drive along Needles Highway with all the spires and tunnels was awesome. Particually cool was coming out of the tunnel on Iron Mountain road and seeing Mt Rushmore. We also drove the parks wildlife road and enjoyed Sylvan Lake. So much to do and so little time. Great park.

Custer State Park
This park turned out to be better than some of the national parks we’ve visited. The price was $20. They have a lovely visitors center with a movie in a theater that is nicer than most national parks. The loop drive was on what looked to be a newly paved black toped roadway. There were plenty of animals to see, including some mules that waited at a bend in the road, and we saw people get out and feed them carrots they brought with them. Beautiful scenery with pullout for picture taking. Clearly, there had been a lot of work done removing fallen limbs from the landscape to keep things looking pristine. I didn’t think this park was one we needed to visit but was sure glad we did after we got into it. We did other scenic drives getting to this park and they were great too. A lot of things to see in the area and we would highly recommend taking time to see it all.

Impressive and extensive state park for all to enjoy. We’re not campers, but there was ample sites to make home for a few days in the beautiful forest. We took a drive on the wildlife loop and got to experience close up visuals of Buffalo, antelopes, prairie dogs and burros! Please do NOT try to pet these wild animals or feed them. (Except for the begging burros- they love a good healthy carrot) otherwise, Enjoy and let them be. Absolute must if you’re in the area.

If you want to see wildlife and have a pleasant drive with mother nature, highly recommend Very peaceful

Fabulous time for our girls trip. Beautiful scenery, awesome experience feeding wild donkey carrots, plenty of restrooms along the way and plenty of Buffalo sightings and prairie dogs. We stand in amazement of Gods beauty. The fields were lush and green with wildflowers along the way. Enjoy your time n this state park.

So enjoy going. Have been 3 different times never disappoints. Beautiful sights and the animals Buffalo, burros, and deer are almost always around the next corner

Custer State Park in the southern side of the Black Hills is easily accessible from multiple directions. Approaching from Needles Highway, you should take the Wildlife Loop and enjoy prairie dogs to bison. The State Game Lodge was lovely. Comfortable room, large dining facility and comfortable outdoor seating with fire pit.
Keep in mind - this is not “Little Big Horn/Custer’s last stand” but it is a beautiful place to hike, camp and/or fish.
Your state park pass is $20 for 7 days or $35 for the annual pass.

First, I wish I had gone years ago to enjoy the beauty of this park. This year it was included in the itinerary and was well worth adding. The drive around the area was wonderful. We did hit an area where no cars were moving due to a herd of bison on the road. Things like this is normal, so be patient, and you will see what the delay was. In this case, maybe 200+ bison roaming.

Short loop road that takes you through valleys and hills seeing scenery and wildlife. This was my first time here. We saw bison, elk, big horn sheep, and deer. There are a few trails.

There are no words to describe how awesome this park is. The wildlife, the views, Sylvan Lake - all amazing! You cannot go wrong visiting this park!

You can definitely spend more than one day in Custer State Park! So much to do and you don’t want to rush through it.

Our favorite thing was doing the wildlife drive and seeing the bison herd and other wildlife. It was very exciting. Stop at the visitor centers and see the displays. The Bison center on the wildlife drive was wonderful. There is a short hike you can do there with your dog.

You can take your dog to CSP which is great if they are traveling with you.

We stopped at Legion Lake Lodge and had lunch overlooking the lake. We also did the hike around the lake.

There are lots of hiking opportunities if you have time to do them. You can pick whatever you want to do.

We also did the Needles Drive and the Iron Mountain drive. You have to do both of those, too.

This is a large and beautiful park. There is a small ranger/Visitor center where you can go get some facts about the part along with a map. The rangers here are the friendliest and most helpful rangers I've seen in years. Once you head out, the roads are winding with picturesque view of the park/mountains. There were many bison in the park when we were there. You will go up into a mountain range, but it isn't one of the large up hill areas, so even the most inexperienced driver can handle these roads. As you go higher, the area becomes more heavily wooded, but the signs are easy to read and understand to get back on a main road if you choose to leave.

There were so many different animals, lots of herds of Buffalo, donkeys, pronghorn deer, and prairie dogs on the wildlife loop

Doesn’t disappoint. Beautiful natural scenic views. Animals in their natural setting. Lodging, food, entertainment all in one place. Must see!!

We visited the Black Hills area about 10 years ago and decided to go back. This time we wanted to take more time in Custer State Park. The park itself is really well taken care of the roads are nice, and signage great. They have numerous lodges, camping, and RV areas. We saw a large buffalo herd, antelope, deer, and prairie dog towns. Iron Mountain Road, Needles Highway, and Sylvan Lake are must places to do. It is just a great ride throughout the Park.

If you go to Mount Rushmore you also have to visit Custer State Park just to the south. You need to devote most of the day to see everything, because it is so varied. From the Wildlife Loop in the south to see the bison to Needles Highway and the Iron Mountain Road and Sylvan Lake. It's gorgeous.

Plenty of scenic drives, bison sightings, the lake for swimming. Many different lodges and dining options within the park. Great place for a family vacation or a romantic getaway. Custer State Park has it all.

A must stop in & around this area. The drives in & around the area are fantastic
Then of course the national parks & historic sites are a must see

Mid afternoon excursion was disappointing. We arrived at 2:30PM. Because of road construction, we waited 20-30 minutes to a.accesss the Wildlife Loop Road. We saw one bison while on line and possibly some n prong horns toward the end of the loop.
Animal sightings are best at dawn and dusk. Unfortunately our schedule did not allow us to be in the park at those times.

This is a state park with lots of great things to see and do within the park. The wildlife loop offers a great chance of seeing many different types of game. Don’t forget to stop at the local grocery store and pick up a few carrots for the wild donkeys (they’ll love you for this).

Beautiful park and many parts of it look like a computer wallpaper or screensaver. Almost as if someone painted nature, and stuck it in South Dakota. We spent three glorious days in the park and enjoyed them all tremendously. This was our teenage daughter, no outdoors woman by any means, favorite part of the trip.

This is a beautiful area, wildlife visible - especially buffalo, scenic beauty. Very nice relaxing drive.

Great scenery, also big chance you will see various wildlife, including buffalos. Tip: ask (not once but) several times at ranger station(s) where the buffalos are, don't forget they are wildlife and move around.

The amazing beauty of the park goes on for miles. Bison run wild and you are sure to see them as well as prairie Dogs. Take time to hike and enjoy the peace!

Custer State Park is wonderful. Wasn’t expecting to like it so much. Caught a rainbow trout in the Grace Coolidge walk in fishing access. Beautiful views, Buffalo and wildlife everywhere!

We highly recommend this park. We enjoyed everything from the drive in the park, seeing the wildlife and the jeep safari with the dinner cookout. We saw hundreds of bison, beautiful landscapes and ate the best steak ever.

Take the wildlife loop and the needles highway/Sylvan lake route! If you take the loop, there are tons of bison on the east side of the halfway point. Then the needles highway loop is beautiful with some challenging hikes. The cathedral spires trail looks simple but is no joke. Bring water and be prepared to climb. You're on the honor system to purchase a week or annual pass at one of the automated kiosks.

I think we enjoyed this as much as Mt. Rushmore, if not more. I disagree with the recommended time of "<1 hour" in the description. This is a big place. It's worth driving to the south end to see tons of buffalo, and there are some really great hikes here, including Cathedral Spires. Really cool. Although it was a little cold, and not every attraction was open, we enjoyed not having to fight ANY crowds at Mt. Rushmore or Custer, and also saving some serious $$ on hotels. Seriously, felt like we were the only ones there.

Beautiful state park in the Black Hills area, Nice facilities, beautiful wooded areas, gorgeous scenery, and bisons, too.

I loved this place as it never disappoints. Lots of wild life too! Plan to stop by Sylvan Lake for a swim!

We drove through here twice-enjoyed both drives. Saw buffalos and prairie dogs. Needles Eye was also an awesome drive, along with Iron Mountain Rd. Sylvan Lake was beautiful-nice easy walk around it.

If you want to watch buffalo roam without the crowds of Yellowstone and with people that respect nature, this is the place to visit. If there is a day you cannot find them, stop at the nearest visitors center and ask for the latest sightings. The ancestral donkeys are hilarious "begging burros" as they are called looking for snacks. We even encountered a prairie dog that appeared to be acclimated to humans. The place is very scenic and borders many small towns. This is my second visit in 4 years. Great place for a family to travel.

My timing was off; the buffalo roundup was a week or so earlier. I think that might have been a reason why I only saw one small herd of buffalo. Nonetheless, it was a great afternoon of driving through the park.

We love this park. The amount of bison is surprising. we saw pronghorn, bison, burros, and my favorites to watch the prairie dogs. The national park system could be advised to use this area as an example of how a park should be maintained. It was very well maintained.

Great park to visit, really easy to drive, loads of wildlife. Takes you up into the black hills and scenery is fab. Sylvan Lake is a great spot and whilst you can walk around it be aware the back portion is quite steep and might not be accessible for some people

Large campsite, very far out of town on a very windy road, far enough from your neighbors, bathrooms clean and had showers. Only bad thing was there was nowhere to do your dishes outside of your camper.

We entered Custer State Park via the Needles Highway. It's a beautiful state park. Amazing to see the landscape. We stopped at 2 visitor centers. Both had helpful, friendly people. We drove part of the Wildlife Loop Road - ending up at the Buffalo center. We did see a couple of buffalo, pronghorns and prarire dogs on this loop. Just a great way to see nature at it's best in this park.

We visited Custer State Park for the Wildlife Loop and Needles Highway. All were beautiful! Mid-end of May there was snow on Needles Highway so be aware of slippery conditions and dress appropriately. We saw some bison, deer, and burros on the Wildlife Loop and just outside of it. The burros were hanging out by the Bison Center. The bison were primarily outside of the Loop and off of Hwy 87 South.

Needles Highway was very scenic. It was a slow drive with many turns and reached altitudes of nearly 6,000 feet.

We had a recommendation to drive the Iron Mountain Hwy but ran out of time. Stopping at Custer State Park Visitor Center was helpful and obtaining a guide with the scenic drives was needed as cell reception was spotty or non-existent at points in the park.

Paradise on earth. Vast expanses of prairie and grasslands, over one thousand bison, pronghorn, birds and prairie dogs. There are four lodges on the property that offer lodging and dining. One is situated on a lake and offers swimming, fishing and canoeing. There are so many hiking trails, beautiful pull-offs for picnics and vistas. The Wildlife Loop trail allows you a gentle 25 mph drive through 18 miles of prairie and grasslands. This is where you will see the bison...maybe. HINT: drive the loop more than once if you don't see the bison. We had to come back a second time to catch the herd crossing the road. The second part of the park is the Needles Highway. This 14-mile tour through granite columns offers incredible views and incredibly tight tunnels. It's spectacular!
Plan on spending the day. The bison burgers at the Blue Bell Lodge were fantastic!! Highly recommend!

The trip was worth it just to see all the bison and other animals along the way! Jim was our guide and was very knowledgeable. He drove us to the bison (at least a 100 of them) and gave a lot of information on the animals. The only thing I'd caution to families is that the tour/dinner was a bit pricey. The tour without the dinner would have been a better value for us, but it was a combo deal. The dinner included entertainment, but it rained part of the way through the dinner and we missed half the show.

Good stopover on my way from Rapid City to Colorado / Rocy Mountains NP /
Beautiful Black Hills with NeedleHighway and region. Everything looks like from movies I used to watch.
Lake Sylvan with its neighbourhood and trail around it is easy to do for everyone.

We didn't go first thing in the morning or in the evening. We went around 9:30 on a day that was a little cooler. I think the key to seeing the wildlife is to get there when the temps are 80 degrees or less. Ask where the animals are when you arrive at the gates. You will have to venture down some maintained gravel roads to see them, but they are an easy drive. We saw everything when we went and it was one of our favorite experiences on the trip. It is a beautiful drive! Take your time, there are many spots to pull off and let someone pass you if you aren't going their pace. We packed a cooler and spent the day driving around. Needles Eye Tunnel is a must and you can see the goats along the way.

This is a fantastic park. The people at the entrances are very knowledgeable about where the wildlife is. The gift shops are awesome and priced reasonably.

If you are in the Mount Rushmore area, you have got to experience this beautiful state park. Bought a 7 day pass as I was in the area for several days and it worked fine as I drove through several times. Had the experience of seeing herds of buffalos both behind a fence and walking in front of my car. This is a beautiful park and you must travel the Needles Highway for astounding views and rock formations not to mention the tunnels that you get to drive through. If in the area, don't miss out on this one.

Fabulous, beautiful park with enjoyment for all ages. We enjoyed a picnic on Sylvan Lake and explored the surrounding area. There is a small beach there as well. We also traveled the Wildlife Loop and saw deer and bison.

Great place. Very clean. Food is good. Staff is excellent. David and Maribel were both excellent and attentive servers.

Definitely must drive the Wilderness Loop to see tons of Buffalos. You can walk up to the fence and get to watch them. We didn’t see any other wild life though through our big loop and all around Custer Park. Do not miss Needle Eye, must see drive

We visited here as part of a two-week-long road trip from our home in southeastern PA to the Dakotas in the summer of 2023; since we were in the Black Hills area for several days, we made sure to plan a visit here--it was a highlight of our entire trip. After visiting several nearby national parks, we were treated to exceptional scenery and wildlife viewing at this state park, of which South Dakota can rightly be quite proud. We enjoyed every mile of the scenic drives we took, including Iron Mountain Road and the Needles Highway out to Sylvan Lake. The main Visitor Center featured some nice exhibits about buffalo and a very enjoyable large-screen video shown in a beautiful super-comfy theater; there was plentiful free parking and friendly, helpful rangers at the Visitor Center. If you are in South Dakota, do not miss a visit to this special place!

Custer is always one of my favorite parks to explore when visiting this area of South Dakota for its trails, scenic drives with tunnels, rock formations, lakes and wild life. We saw lots of bison on the wildlife loop and around the corrals. Our favorite hike was cathedral spires… a moderately strenuous hike with amazing views of the spires as you hike among them.

The State Park and all its wildlife is beautiful. We witnessed herds of Bison up close, prairie dogs, turkeys and Pronghorns. The drive is absolutely beautiful. There are plenty of pull offs to take photos. This is the beauty of South Dakota.

Beautiful! Well worth the visit. We drove through one morning and it was foggy so we just took wildlife loop rd. Tons of bisons! Stopped by the new bison center- it’s worth stopping by. Cleans and informative. The gentleman working was very friendly and full of info about the park and bison. Drove rest of park a different day, it was nice having a pass for a week. Highly recommend!

We spent three days in the park, marveling at the sites. We witnessed a herd of buffaloes crossing the road right in front of our car! The lakes a trails around them are beautiful.

We had a great time in this park that we had never heard of. We decided to picnic there after our morning visit to Mount Rushmore. What a nice surprise!
The cathedral peaks are impressive. The tunnels in the rock are unique, especially that of the head of the pin.
The wildlife road is very surprising. Few bison have been seen, but several donkeys and American antelope. My son loved it.
Lake Sylvan is also nice to end the afternoon, but there are plenty of people.
The only downside is the motorcycle rally in August which gathers thousands of people. That's a lot of people and... a lot of noise.

I don't know if it was me or just the timing of the trip. I found it difficult to actually stay within the parks parameters, kept ending up on roadways taking me out of the park, granted then when I went to leave, I couldn't find my way out! Possibly due to construction within the park and/or logging of trees, wildlife was scarce, a real disappointment. Driving along the roadways, there wasn't much room to pull off and get out of other visiters way to take pictures. Camping is forbidden unless you have a TENT. This aggravated me too for I really wanted to camp out. I tried for the life of me to conjure how sleeping in a tent makes me SAFE?!?! But rules are rules so I didn't stay. I hope if you go, your experience is/was better than mine.

We arrived at the east entrance prior to 8 am. A car pass costs $20 and is good for 1 week. We drove the wildlife loop carefully watching for animals. We saw 12 antelope, 8 bull bison, two large bison herds, 4 prairie dog towns, and numerous songbirds. Our drive took almost 2 hours, but we made numerous stops. This was a wonderful drive!

My husband and I spent a couple of days in Custer State Park. We enjoyed seeing the bison, visiting the bison center, seeing other wildlife like pronghorn antelope, prairie dogs, turkeys and burros. We hiked several trails, drove the Iron Mountain Road and the 18-mile Wildlife Loop Road. We encountered the "Begging Burros," which were gently persistent guests at our car. They were delighted to eat our crackers and we were equally delighted to feed them our crackers. What's a little car window slobber and cracker crumbs among friends?

We came in early May during our month long road trip. There was no one there and zero wait due to the time of year. The gate staff was amazing! We did the wildlife loop - TWICE! It’s an absolutely beautiful park and totally worth the cost of admission. I would highly recommend a visit. The Black Hills cannot be missed.

Absolutely one of the beet state parks in the nation. I am shocked it is not a national park. It is definitely a must see when in South Dakota.

Be sure to travel the Wildlife Loop. You will easily see bison, white tail deer, beautiful land, and even wild donkeys. Also drive the needles highway.

I thought Custer State Park was great. I did a hike called lovers leap. It was a very well maintained trail and had some tree cover, which was a nice change from the desert hike I did in the Badlands. The park was easy to drive around and had many scenic overlooks with plenty of parking.

We LOVED our three night stay at Blue Bell Lodge in Custer State Park. We were there for three days and I wish it could have been longer. I would highly recommend doing the chuckwagon ride/supper from Blue Bell Lodge….it was so much fun and the steak was delicious!!

Beautiful views, lots of nice hiking trails and driving yrails with lots of wildlife. We went back several days, so glad we checked out this state park. Needles loop is a must see drive, especially with national park higher ridge trail road closed. Anything after October 15 is somewhat shutting down in area, but colors and amazing views are not to miss, good for all ages.

Driving through the endless hills and grasslands and seeing the magnificent Buffalo roaming and grazing freely throughout the massive park. We also saw Elk and Pronghorn and prarie dogs. We saw a badger meandering through the prairie dog villiage hoping for a negligent unsuspecting meal. We watched bighorn sheep playing in the rocks along the road. If you don't see anything first drive through the wildlife loop, don't give up. There are hundreds of buffalo there and it's a huge park. They are constantly on the move. A lot of times right down the road!

Loved the buffalo round up! Got there at 5 am and gates open at 6:15. Probably could have arrived a little later, met another couple who arrived at 9.

If you travel to the Black Hills of South Dakota, you definitely should visit Custer State Park! Driving the park's wildlife loop, we saw lots of buffalo, prairie dogs, pronghorn antelope, and wild burros. The beautiful Sylvan Lake area is also a must-see within the park. The lake features swimming, fishing, boating, and a picnic area. Custer State Park has some good hiking trails. But the best part was all the animals we saw.

This park is huge, more like a national park than a state park. Beautiful scenery all around . There is a variety of wildlife, we saw buffalo herds roaming free, donkeys and prairie dogs. Seeing the buffalo was a highlight of our trip. Visit this park, you won’t be sorry.

We spent four days visiting Custer State Park, Mt. Rushmore, and the National Forest, and we still did not see it all.

Park highlights for us include the Wildlife Loop which we drove once in the afternoon and again in the morning.

The Mt. Coolidge Lookout is worth the drive up the gravel road for the spectacular views.

Needles Highway is a must, as is Iron Mountain Road for the views and tunnels.

Sylvan Lake is one of the most beautiful places on earth; but don’t miss Legion Lake and Stockdale which are smaller and less crowded, but still very scenic.

We make the Visitor Center our first stop and were happy we did because the very knowledgeable Range offered so excellent suggestions and helped us plan our days.

Great state park - well worth the $20 weekly pass. We drove the Wildlife Loop and saw burro and of course prairie dogs. We wanted to see the bison, as there is a large herd there. Didn't see them on the loop, so asked a ranger where they were seen recently and he gave us the info and which dirt road to take. And ... he was right! We saw SO many bison up close and personal. Many photo ops for sure. Lots of young ones too. From Custer, we drove Needles Highway where we saw mountain goats grazing on the hillside. They have a very nice info center with helpful employees. You can obtain a park pass (good for 7 days) at outside kiosks with a credit card, or inside with cash. The park is huge and well worth the drive.

We started off our day at Custer State Park. We began by going into the visitor center, which is an absolute MUST DO. Why? Because when you walk in there is a large scale model of the park and they mark it to show the last reported sighting of bison. The volunteers then showed us how to find that area, and they also showed us another visitor center along the way where they recommended we stop to get further updated information. The bison were located at the southern end of the park, so the beginning of our drive was just through beautiful landscape, without much wildlife at that point.

We stopped as instructed at the next visitor center, and got an updated status of the bison, as well as directions on how to find them, as you needed to go off on one of the side roads. We headed off, and then as we rounded the bend on the road there they were! Hundreds of bison as far as you could see. It was absolutely amazing. You can easily pull to the side of the road and stop, and you can roll down your windows and just observe - it was incredible.

Several times we were stopped along the way as they crossed the road in front of us. It was absolutely one of the highlights of our trip to South Dakota. After we finished driving through the herd, we continued our journey and ended up at the Blue Bell Lodge for lunch, which we highly recommend.

From there, we drove the Needles Highway, a big portion of which in our case was done in the rain. But despite the rain, there was still lots to see, even though a lot of it for us was from inside the car, where we periodically rolled down the windows to take pictures. I would say our day at Custer State Park was absolutely the best experience we had during the entire stay in South Dakota, so I would highly, highly recommend it!

So much to see and do at Custer! It was absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed doing the wildlife road, needles highway, and sylvan lake. Could spend multiple days here !

Pay the $25 day pass fee (kiosk available at entry) and arrive at dawn to capture the rock and tree reflections off Sylvan Lake! Clean toilet facilities and ample parking along with fast access to the #9 trailhead. This hike never disappoints and you can easily add on Cathedral Spires if you want.

We got to see the rangers and cowboys move the herd. What an amazing sight! I expected to see a few buffalo, not hundreds. It was so amazing! We also saw antelope, prairie dogs, deer, burrows. The Needles are gorgeous, but be cautious with those afraid of heights! The tight tunnels are so great, but be careful of wide loads! You will be rewarded with a wonderful lake at the top. Take your time and enjoy. There is a delicious restaurant with a cute lake to replenish.

This was awesome. Not only are there bison, elk, pronghorns, and a ton of birds, but if you go find a pull out at night, the stars are just amazing. We planned on going here once and ended up cancelling dinner plans 4 nights in a row to go listen to the elk bugle and watch stars. I would go back to the Black Hills just to visit this place.

Wow! What an amazing park! There is so much to see and do and the views are breathtaking. I was amazed there was so much lodging/camping to choose from. Plenty of bathrooms as well as places to eat. I wish we had had more time to explore. We live 18 hours away, but we will be back. How lucky the people are that find this little slice of paradise in their own back yard.

A must-see attraction

Go for more than one day. One day start near the Hill City entrance & the next the wildlife loop entrance furthest south near Wind Cave national park. First visit, near Hill City entrance stop at Sylvan Lake & walk around. Then continue south on Needles Hwy. Note due to the twisty road your driving speed will only be around 25MPH. There are lots of switchbacks on the road but it’s not as scary as the million-dollar highway in Ouray, CO which we have done. Stop at all of the lookouts which have awesome scenery & each one is a different view. Stop at the visitor center to see the film & talk to the rangers. Than go into the wildlife loop driving very slowly looking for bison, prairie dogs & pronghorn. Stop at the bison center & the small visitor center. This will be an all-day trip! Next visit starts at the wildlife south entrance & go north for the same areas but different views going up north.

Bring apples & carrots to feed the begging burros near the bison center. They are hilariously funny begging for food.

Stop to see the prairie dog towns- near the bison center – they are awesome to watch. Listen to them warning other prairie dogs with their voices if you approach close. Do NOT feed them.

Bring a picnic lunch as there is no food in the park. There are water bottle filling stations in the visitor center.

Hike at Prairie Trails. It’s 2.5 miles & took us 2.5 hours. The hike is moderately difficult. There is one very steep section – if going counterclockwise you would go downhill at this point. I would recommend going counterclockwise. The trail is mostly out in the open so lots of sun & it was hot! You need to cross a small stream at the beginning of the trail but there’s rocks in the stream to walk on so it’s not too difficult.

Another day drive up Iron Mt Road & stop at each tunnel pass as there is a view of Mt Rushmore from here- each is a little different, but some have no places to stop.

We spent 3 full days in the park & were glad we did.

I would recommend 3 days with the third day going to Mt. Rushmore after driving uo Iron Mt Road.

So, what’s the best place to see bison? Ask a ranger but before 9am on two different days they were at the permit station near the south end of the wildlife trail.

The scenery is awesome. Be prepared to arrive very early am or late pm for a better chance to see wildlife.

It’s worth every penny of the $20 admission charge which is good for seven days.

IMHO, it’s better than Wind Cave & Jewel Cave- those belong to the federal government, Custer is a SD state park.

If you like my review, I hope you’ll click the “helpful” button; those of us who write reviews live for those and it motivates us to do more.

I never expected South Dakota to be spectacular! I am now telling anyone who goes to Mount Rushmore to devote at least a half day to simply driving through Custer State Park! I’ve been to a lot of National Parks, and this matches anything I ever saw in the bigger parks! Do not miss the drive through the Needles, which is absolutely amazing. Sylvan Lake is also very pretty. As you go through the park you’ll see forests, prairies, rock formations, wildlife, you name it. And some distant views of Mount Rushmore if you want them! Very much worth the trip!

Spend a day in and around this state park--so many beautiful things to see!
Take a hike to the cathedral spires, drive on Needles Highway (through the tunnels), visit Sylvan Lake...so much to see. It rivals the National Parks we were seeing along the way.

Custer State Park is really a national park in terms of the scenery and wildlife. Spend some time at Sylvan Lake, take advantage of the many challenging hikes, drive the Needles Highway, and learn about "tatanka" (bison) at the visitor center before seeing the herds on the Wildlife Loop. You could spend a half-day, full day, or a weekend here. This was the highlight of our time in South Dakota and we're planning to return for a weekend getaway in the future.

Awesome. Check out Iron Mountain road and Needles highway. Wildlife loop was great, saw plenty of bison, pronghorn and burros.

We enjoyed our visit, The scenic drives are wonderful. We were early in the season but lucked out with great weather. Hope to come again one day!

This review is just for the wildlife loop portion of Custer Stare Park. We entered on the east entrance near where loop starts. We saw over 300 bison early on the road. Later saw pronghorns very close. The drive is beautiful though out. It took about 1.5 hours. Start early as it can get crowded in the afternoon.

This was a great day at the park, Its beautiful and scenic. I didn't see a lot of bison but the few I did see were awesome! The visitor center was done very well and the donkeys were fun.

Very cool place to spend several days surrounding yourself with nature. We saw lots of buffalo, donkeys, deer, and more.

Can’t say enough good stuff about this wonderful park! Grew up going with family on summer vacations to SD and always visited Custer Park. My husband and I continue to visit SD and Custer Park every few years. It never gets old. Along the scenic wildlife drive, you are always sure to see buffalo, pronghorn antelope, donkeys, goats (sometimes) and of course the prairie dogs. One wonderful surprise this year was the new (as of 2022) Buffalo Center that is located halfway thru the drive. It is free to wander thru the exhibits - and was so interesting. We also enjoyed lunch on their beautiful deck. Bought lunch from the onsite chuckwagon and it was the best pulled pork sandwich we have ever had!

A great experience for the entire family.

The landscape and wildlife are breathtaking: the buffalos are majestic in their natural habitat…you’ll feel like if you had traveled in time a million years back.

The wild donkeys will show you that the wild horses in the Outer Banks, NC have nothing on them.

The prairie dogs will keep you entertained the whole way. They are so cute and they are everywhere.

The park rangers and staff at the visitor center are awesome. Great ambassadors of nature and wildlife in this part of the country; they do a great job in educating us.

One thing we learned and that I kindly ask you to consider: NOT TO FEED JUNK FOOD TO THE ANIMALS. The park rangers told us that, sadly, wild donkeys have developed type 2 diabetes as people give them Oreos to eat. Bring a bag of carrots and not cookies. It’ll be healthier for your pocket, too.

Beautiful! The word beautiful doesn’t even begin to describe Custer State Park. We started out on Needles Highway which has some of the most amazing views. The rock formations are incredible. We stopped several times to take lots of pictures. Then we drove along Wildlife Loop and it didn’t disappoint! We saw Buffalo, prairie dogs, and donkeys. The donkeys will come right up to your car. The entire family loved it!

The park is an oasis in South Dakota. One should spend at least whole day here, maybe 2 days to do it justice. The spires which the park is known for are on Needles highway, near Sylvan Lake. The bison hang out near the new Bison lodge on the Wilderness trail. We saw bison, antelope, big horn sheep, and deer on our one day trip.

Seriously one of the top 5 parks I've ever been to in my life. This park exceeds any state park expectations you may have. The Wildlife Loop drive is so much fun..you get to see bison, burros, and much more. The Bison Center and gift shop is a great stop to look forward to in the middle of the loop. Such a beautiful park, I am surprised it's not a National Park. Can't wait to go back someday.

It was suggested that we check out this state park while near Mt. Rushmore. A 20.00 entry fee, which we thought was high for a state park but.....
This park is beautiful and extremely well cared for. We saw Bison and a large herd of Big Horn Sheep. There are beautiful lakes and lodges. A lovely scenic loop drive.
We were so impressed with this park.

This is a fantastic place and well worth every minute you spend here. Take the drive. Enjoy the view. Watch for the animals. It's well worth the trip.

Since this area is very diverse, we spent almost 3 days here. Custer itself as a location was ideal and offers everything you need. The Visitor Center is very informative and helps with planning. In addition to the very nice winding roads Iron Mountain and Needle we were also enthusiastic about the Wildlife Loop. We were able to drive this without problems and with little traffic. We saw a lot of bison like never before. You should also do some hiking, such as the Cathedral Spires trail. The beautiful rock formation can be really enjoyed. Sylvan Lake is most beautiful in the early morning. There are just as many, beautiful smaller trails. We will come back.

I visited Custer State Park when I was 16 and it left a lasting impression which has spanned forty years and spawned another visit recently. The memories paled in comparison to the real thing! I traveled all four scenic drives and each had their own beauty yet Needles with spiral outcroppings reaching towards Heaven was the most dramatic and breathtaking. The Peter Norbeck Byway offered a true surprise with an unexpected view of Mt. Rushmore via a tunnel making for a unique and awesome site. Sylvan Lake was tranquil and serene. The hike around the lake is worth the time. I spent three days in the park and it flew by.

Custer State Park was a great trip. The drive on Needles Highway was beautiful and seeing the wildlife was fabulous. My favorite part had to be the donkeys. Totally recommend driving through.

We Had The Best Time at Custer State Park . Saw Bison all over the parkthey were huge beautiful animals also burros were beside the road looking for people to feed them even though it says do not feed them. Saw deer on our drive through the park. Many prairie dogs were in the park peeking out from the holes in the ground and running around. The landscape was very beautiful so much to see

This is a must see. We were able to drive on the Wildlife Loop in late afternoon so we saw a lot of bison, prairie dogs and other animals and fed the burros. Check at the Visitor Centers for bison sightings.This is our third time visiting and would definitely recommend it. We already had plans to go to Teddy Roosevelt NP so we drove distance to get there, but didn't see any new wildlife we hadn't seen here.We drove on all 3 roads in Custer over 2 days.The Needles Highway has the Needles formations and a very narrow tunnel. Iron Mountain Road has a view of Mount Rushmore through a tunnel. The one way tunnels are easier to navigate at dusk when motorists have their headlights on so you can tell if someone is coming.

Have been here several times to see the critters. A little disappointed this year seems they are building a new Bison center and had most of them penned up To be fair it was late in the year. Should be nice when done, still worth the drive, great scenery.

Custer State Park is a beautiful park with diverse nature. You have a little steppe with bison, forks, donkeys and much more and a great mountainous landscape from which you can see the distant Mount Rushmore. For $20 admission per vehicle, you have one week access to the park. We installed the park on our road trip to Mount Rushmore and spent a lot more time here than we thought because the park is so beautiful and we stopped again and again.

Fantastic park. Very well run. So many hikes for all ability levels. Great little lakes for kayaking. Bison!

We visited on a day trip from Rapid City. We did the Wildlife Loop. Almost immediately we saw a large herd of bison. Maybe 40 or so. Just beautiful. Stopped at the visitor center which had a few displays. We then saw a large group of bighorn sheep right by the road eating. Further out, there was a camping area and there must have been a good 25 bison right by the trailers!! Many calves with their mothers. We also saw burros and prairie dogs. There is an unmarked new visitor center near the round up area. It was fantastic. Don’t miss it. Nice gift shop and tables outside for lunch. It was a beautiful day seeing all the animals. We had lunch at the Blue Bell which we enjoyed very much. Custer State Park is a GEM and a MUST VISIT. 5 STARS ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Amazing scenic views, hiking trails, scenic overlooks and lots of wildlife encounters.

I visited Mt Coolidge, Lake Sylvan, the Needles, the wildlife loop, Iron Mountain, and oodles of trails.

The restroom facilities were... rustic. But, that's better than nothing.

I spent two days, but probably could have spent an entire week. The price of admission is well worth the experience!

My only complaint is that the glue on the pack pass stickers is way too strong, it took significant effort to get it off my windshield.

Went early in the morning and paid $25.00 and saw two Bison’s at a far distance. We saw deer and donkeys and that was it. Very disappointing. We will never waste our time on this park.

Custer State Park is a huge expanse of Black Hill geography with open prairie grasslands, pine covered mountains, and beautiful views.
The circle road better known as the wildlife loop road is very long maybe about 18 miles. It took us about 2 or 3 hours because we kept seeing wildlife. There were many turnouts, so we would stop and check out the deer, antelope, and of course Buffalo. We came in the west entrance and saw a sign for the Coolidge Fire Tower. We were ready for an adventure, so we drove up a narrow fire access road which offered wonderful vistas as we wove our ways through hairpin turns. The road z. was climbs up to fire Tower and offers wonderful views of South Dakota. At the base of the fire tower, there I is an observation tower as well. Definitely picture taking spot. After a thrilling ride back down the dirt road, we rejoined the wildlife loop road. As we said earlier, plenty of wildlife and beautiful natural vistas. We kept looking for the buffalo grazing on the hilly grasslands, but the herd was not to be found until mile post 17. Believe me all 1500 Buffalo were on both sides of the road as well blocking traffic. Awesome sight to see fields covered with Buffalo! A couple eyed us looking out the truck at them. Also saw many calves as well. If one is in The Black Hills, Custer State Park is a great place to enjoy nature. Please be aware the 20 dollar entrance fee is good for 7 days.

Our family of seven (4 generations) from Texas visited Custer State Park while in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We were so bummed to realize we missed the buffalo roundup by exactly 1 week… We visited the Peter Norbeck Education Center and talked with a volunteer..she was so friendly and shared several stories with us about staying the summer at the campground! We also stopped at the Visitor Center and watched the Park Film. It was so entertaining and informative, everyone in our family enjoyed it. We were able to see buffalo, antelope, deer, burros and LOTS of prairie dogs while in the park. The highlight was stopping at an overlook and climbing stairs to a ridge and while at the top we heard elk bugling..so cool!! We all just stood at the top in a little cooler drizzly weather just listening to them for about 20-25 minutes!! We had actually thought about doing the Friday night elk bugle tour but we got that accomplished on our own!! The leaves were starting to change and the scenery was Gorgeous!!! Would absolutely recommend visiting Custer State Park..the entry fee is well worth it!!!

Beautiful place. We enjoyed the walk around Sylvan Lake, the needles eye tunnel was a nice experience. ( for smallish vehicles only though.)
The roads are a little narrow and winding but that makes it all the more exciting, some of the views from the loop are stunning.

This park is a true gem. We went to the park on vacation in late May and from what I understand during summer it can get quite congested. Once in the park you take the wildlife viewing paved road. We were so lucky to see so many animals, A lot of Bison, We got caught in 3 bison jams! What a thrill to see the animals up close. If you want to see Bison this is the location for you! We also saw deer, burros and prairie dogs. Be sure to stop at the Bison Center as the guide inside is so informative. When we left the center there were 3 bison near the parking lot. As we were leaving one of the large bulls walked right in front of our car and just stopped. He was as large as our car! We were in awe of him. We just sat and gently watched him - eventually he bored of us and moved on. The wild burros are quite fun.

Gotta love this park!!!! We started off seeing a large bull bison before we got very far into the park. Then nothing for quite some time we did the wildlife loop saw a few pronghorn the burros sure can't call them wild. They are good at begging for food. We did not feed them. But finally saw a herd of bison on our 2nd trip down one of the dirt road inside the loop. Saw some yearlings(probably) tussling so cute to watch then one decide he wanted to scratch his back more than tussle and started rolling around in the dirt. Then back on the loop there was a bison jam we were waiting and watching then all of a sudden a different herd came rushing down the hill and across the road in front of us. The herd that was there joined the stampede have no idea what they were running from. Since were there in the spring my big hope was to see a red dog (baby bison) and I finally did. Even saw a couple next to the road close enough to hear them make funny huffing noises. There are prairie dogs in may places.The needles drive is gorgeous. We didn't see any goats or bighorns up on that drive. But totally worth the drive and stopping a admiring nature. I think I want to stay there if we go again and not having to commute from Rapid City.

We loved our visit to Custer State Park. Beautiful Nature, fascinating geology and wildlife. Good for shorter or longer hikes. Don't miss the Sylvan Lake area.

The absolute most beautiful scenery around. Every bend in the road reveals something more breathtaking and awe-inspiring than before.

Taking the dirt roads led us to see more things, as we traveled we wanted to see Bison and did not see any so we decided to go down a dirt road, and the first one we traveled we then saw the awesome animals of the West.

Very nice place to spend a day hiking, biking, touring. Travel down the gravel roads for the chance to see bison, prairie dogs, pronghorn sheep, and donkeys. Feed and pet donkeys. They were very friendly. Sylvan Lake is a nice spot to swim, kayak, or picnic. Be sure to take Needles Hwy for some great views.

This was on the itinerary for a tour that started in Rapid City and ends in Jackson, WY. When I first saw this as a two-night stay on our itinerary, which was billed as "National Parks and Lodges of the Old West", I wondered how a state park would live up to the expectations of other visits on the tour to Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

While we haven't yet experienced those two national parks, I can say that Custer State Park is the best state park we've experienced. Not only is it huge, but the concessioners offers lots of opportunities to take advantage of the venue. Ours included a "Buffalo Safari Adventure" combined with a "chuck wagon dinner". We got up close and personal with a herd of at least 200 American Bison. The dinner included live, and quite good, western music. We stayed at a well-appointed room in the annex of the State Game Lodge, located within the park.

Our visit was limited to two days, but there are at least a week's worth of activities and plenty of different types of accommodations, from tent camping, to cabins to 3-star hotel experiences with full dining and bar amenities.

While we were in Custer State Park we drove on the Wildlife Loop. During the drive we saw bison, pronghorns, prairie dogs, and burros. According to the rangers we had to detour a little bit on a dirt road to see the bison. It was worth it! You could see the groups of bison pass in front of the car. The pronghorns and prairie dogs were near the road and the burros were gathered in a parking lot. The burros were very friendly and some went up to the car windows as the cars drove in. Another nice thing about the loop is that it connects to a road that leads to Wind Cave. We totally recommend this drive.

We absolutely loved our time here and wished it could've been longer. So much wildlife to see, hiking trails, lakes, different types of scenery, scenic highways and tunnels, close to other places like Mount Rushmore. A must do!! Should be a National Park but then it would be even busier.

The state park was one of our favorite places visited during our vacation to South Dakota. So many variety of activities. Like a hike around Sylvan Lake. The Wild Life Loop drive, we got to see bison, big horn sheep, burros, coyotes, and deer. Just to name a few. The Needles Highway with dramatic spires and rock formations. Don't just drive through this state park, devote a couple of days so you could enjoy the area thoroughly.

Absolutely stunning. See more reviews on each of the sights in details.

Great views around the park. Take the Wildlife Loop option for the chance to see some native animals. Sylvan Lake is a nice hike.

This is an awesome state park! So many things to see and do! The wildlife loop is great…but do get off and drive the gravel roads too! Many , many bison…lots of prairie dogs! Stop at the bison center….lots of info and see the donkeys close by! They live carrots…buy some before going to feed them! Needles Highway was AWESOME! I have never seen such amazing rock formations! It is a tedious drive…but so worth it!

We had been thru here when our children were little and had such fond memories that we decided to visit again. We were not disappointed. At the entrance, the ranger shared with us where the buffalo were being seen that day, so we could be sure to take that route. The scenery was beautiful, weather was perfect. Then we saw them! Up close and personal. The buffalo and lots of calves. In the distance, on both sides of the road, on the road, and right next to the road. They are magnificent animals, and they had us totally spellbound. We saw 3 or 4 herds this close along the roads in the park. we were able to get some incredible pictures. Some of which we hope to put on our walls. Driving along the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park, we noticed lots of vehicles pulled over and walking down the gulch. Following them we soon saw why. Here were the wild, friendly, begging burros. They are the descendants of the burros that carried tourists up to Black Elk Peak before roads were built to it. You will want to have something to offer them. Try cut apples or something healthy. Stop at the visitor's Center for information and comfort stop. ~ The amount of time you spend in the park depends on your interest level and what you enjoy viewing. ~ Please keep in mind, you are viewing wild animals and must exercise precautions. Stay in your vehicles ( except for the burros in the gulch~ but these also are wild. They seem tame because of the handouts) We had one buffalo rub it's neck on the fender and hood of our car, and back fender. Exciting yes, terrifying yes. These are very powerful animals. So, use common sense, and you will have memories that will last you a lifetime.

Wonderful experience! Bison everywhere with little baby bisons!
Take the wild life loop and the unpaved roads. Stayed at Blue Bell Lodge. Highly recommend the entire experience.

Great state park. Comparable to any I have visited. Plenty to do and a few places to eat as well. The Buffalo safari is an entertaining ride. We got an extra long one as it wasn’t yet busy and the guide was eager to show us the sights and animals, although we had seen plenty of Buffalo already. Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Rd are great drives. The Sylvan Lake trail is a good walk. We took a day and a half to do it because the safari was extended, but were delighted.

Beautiful! If you stay on the paved road for the wildlife loop, you may not see wildlife. We saw all of the bison on the dirt road that criss cross through the loop. We saw Jeep tours but really enjoyed doing this ourselves.

During our road trip through South Dakota and Wyoming, we visited several national parks and monuments. Of course, the scenery and wildlife were extraordinary. What we didn’t expect was to find the same beauty and excitement at a state park in South Dakota, without the large crowds. We saw far more buffalo at Custer State Park than in Yellowstone National Park—without the traffic jams of cars inching along with passengers hoping for a glimpse of buffalo. I read that the park’s buffalo herd of over 1400 is the second largest free-roaming herd in the US. We saw several prairie dog villages during our drive on Wildlife Loop Road.

Needles Highway with its unique rock formations was breathtaking and impressive. Don’t consider it if you’re driving large RVs, because you probably can’t drive through narrow tunnels, like Needle Eye Tunnel. What fun! Sylvan Lake is serene and beautiful.

Regardless of the time of the year Custer state park offers everything imaginable for young or old. Hiking and biking needs to be improved upon as to signage. But if you spend the time to look you can find incredibly great hiking.

We drove the Iron Mountain road from Keystone (see review). Hiked Cathedral Spires, which is a very nice hike and well worth your time. Continued on through the eye of the needle tunnel to Sylvan Lake. The lake was nice for leisurely walk. Did all of this before lunch, so it wasn’t crowded.

This is a gorgeous state park. There are many campgrounds. We went at 5 in the evening and saw LOTS of bison. They crossed the road right by where we parked. Amazing!

A very nice drive with many animals to see. We had 1 area where we had so many buffalo around our vehicle that we had to stop along with traffic from both directions. We estimated nearly 300 buffalo in the area that we had to stop. There are many places to stop along the road to get some great pictures. Have done this before, and will be back.

Just go! This place is absolutely AMAZING! We are from Pennsylvania and thought PA State Parks were the bomb, but Custer wins for the best state park, probably anywhere! Needles Hwy, Sylvan Lake, Wildlife Loop Rd...all of it was fantastic. Stunning scenery, bison and prairie dogs galore! We woke and arrive to Wildlife Loop at 6 am early June and had the road to ourselves for miles and miles.

A must do when visiting the area. We didn't stay in the park but drove through. It is so beautiful and so hard to describe. There is rolling hills, amazing rock formations, granite peaks and lakes. There are several spots where you can pull over and just take it all in. There is plenty of hiking trails, picnic areas and swimming. My only disappointment is that we didn't see any bison. I was told after we left the park that the attendant at the gate could of told us where their whereabouts was the day we visited. Be sure you ask when entering the park.

Love this place. Big thumbs up to wait staff, David and Meribel. Our jeep Safari was wonderful, great people and food was excellent. Jim was our quide very informative and upbeat. Would love to return.

Absolutely outstanding. We did the wildlife loop, needles highway and silvan lake. A must visit if in the area.

You can spend a lifetime in Custer State Park and not see everything. The scenic drives are incredible. We saw Bison, donkeys, mountain goats and many more animals on the wildlife loop. Get out early before the crowds and enjoy this incredible park !

This was the best part of our recent trip through SD. It is amazing, wonderful, clean and so much to see. Great location to visit other attractions in the area.
We stayed at the Blue Bell Lodge. The cabin was great! We did a Trail Ride, a Buffalo Safari, and the Chuck Wagon cookout. All were so much fun, well planned, and covered a lot of the park. All the staff members we encountered we courteous, and helpful. I'd return tomorrow if I could.

Absolutely beautiful! We stayed in the park for two nights & wish we could have stayed two more! So many things to do and see.

Last time I was here was in 2012. What a difference twelve years make! The never ending encroaching of bureaucracy has now managed to build an internal fence, corralling the wildlife withing a certain area near the water, thus they don’t even approach the road – you discover all this after you’ve paid your $20 and entered the park. Last time we saw bison, pronghorn, foxes, bighorn sheep and deer. This time, after driving the 18 mls road and not seeing one single animal, we drove back once again, not believing, and then realizing that the fence was confining the wildlife far away (we glanced some bison too far even for the longest lens). Yes, the rolling hills of WY are always gorgeous to see and photograph, but you can do this in so many places without admission... The pictures attached here are from my last trip, 12 years ago
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We were in the park on two occasions and enjoyed both times . Got to see buffalo and great scenery . The woman in the ticket boot was very nice and informative

We were chasing the bison, unsuccessfully though, while people were pointing here and there. We hiked around a few lakes and were more that satisfied

What a beautiful State Park. Well worth the time. We were getting disappointed not seeing wildlife. We saw a whitetail deer, penned buffalo and a antelope. Then out of nowhere right in front of us was a herd of buffalo crossing the road. It was the most amazing thing. The rock formations were great. The two drive thru rocks with Mount Rushmore in view was awesome. Highly recommend.

While we disappointingly did not see the famous Burros, we did drive through a huge herd of buffalo which rivaled anything we saw in Yellowstone.. Also saw Pronghorn and deer. Good visitor centers. Recommend Legion Lake for food - better and cheaper than other places in the park. Budget at least 2 hours.

Took the jeep safari tour at Custer State Park. Saw many animals and wonderful views. Beautiful area. Beautiful park. Staff was fun and knowledgeable

A truly exceptional experience that is definitely worth seeing. One must take their time exploring. We saw hundreds of Bison, Rams, Wild Horses & Donkeys, etc. Many of them walking on the road, say less the 100 feet away from us. This was on my bucket list and I am glad that I/we had the chance to experience this beauty.

Sylvan Lake was stunning. We also drove the Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road which were really cool, especially seeing Mount Rushmore framed by a tunnel on Iron Mountain Road. We drove the wildlife loop, where we unfortunately did not see much wildlife. It was really hot and mid-afternoon, so that may be why.

The park was gorgeous!

Custer State park was an exceptional place and a real surprise as it was not part of our planned itinerary. Stunning views which in places exceeded those of Yosemite . I couldn’t recommend more .

An absolute must see! I wish we had more time here, we only had 1/2 day. The ranger / visitor station guided us on where to drive to see wildlife and we got to see a herd of buffalo cross the road right behind our car. There are some nice hikes here too. Highly recommend visiting here.

This park was one that I would recommend to anyone you drive through. So neat to see the buffalo just walk down the middle of the road or roam in the fields. Also saw the antelope. And we were able to see the begging burros and feed them apples. This was a one of a kind experience! We loved it.

It's just okay. I'd give it a pass if you have limited time in the area. The Wildlife Loop is a very long stretch of road with some pedestrian scenery, a couple of prairie dog settlements, and a bison ranch, with a few donkeys and some buffalo up by the road. Frankly, the vistas outside the park were much more impressive.

There are 3 scenic drives in Custer State Park. On the wildlife loop we managed to see bison, the bagging burrows, rams, and elk. We did not see all of them on each drive. This was probably my families favorite part of the trip since we did the loop everyday of our weeklong stay.
The needles loop will give you some outstand scenery. There are s lot of overlooks that you need to stop at. The iron loop was okay, but there is one spot where you come out of a tunnel and Mt Rushmore is seen in the distance.

Awesome hike on the Sunday Gulch Trail in Custer State Park. Beautiful loop trail past waterfalls and a lake, and then back through switchbacks in the forest. The only bummer was hearing noises from the motorcyclists on the highway road nearby. This hike came recommended from our hotel and we had a grand time.

This was my third visit to Custer State Park. This time I stayed two nights in the State Game Lodge/ Creekside rooms. What a great visit we had! The park was very beautiful in the springtime. No crowds, either. We saw many varieties of animals. Early morning and late afternoon/early evening were the best viewing times. Our room was very clean and spacious. We had dinner at the Sylvan Lake Lodge with Kassidea as our server and then at the State Game Lodge with Doc as our server. Both meals were delicious! We were fortunate to visit before Memorial Day weekend and had no problem with reservations. But if you're visiting during the summer months, I would advise making dinner and lodging reservations in advance.

This place is beautiful. So much to see if you love nature. So many places to stop and enjoy the stunning scenery.

This park has so much that make it unique. The wildlife loop is full of wildlife and simply fantastic to drive. Two scenic drives are part of the park and are full of tunnels, switchbacks, etc. They are so fun to drive and full of pullovers to get great photo ops. It is an absolute must do!!

Should really be a national park to include Mount Rushmore and the drive on the Iron Mountain Road. Needles Highway and Sylvan Lake are worth the entry fee alone. But when you take in the wildlife loop this elevates it into something really special.

A must see for the bison and hiking. Cathedral spires trail was really a fun hike. People of all ages and capabilities were able to do it. It's not necessarily easy but it was challenging enough. Some I questioned while pregnant with kids but they were out there. Parking at the spires trail was in short supply but it is possible. Also other wildlife like big horn sheep and pronghorn. Very beautiful and fascinating part of our country.

I rarely give five stars. But gotta here. Custer State Park is rated at the top of State Parks in the country. It’s pretty neat with a mix of wonderful scenery, amazing rocks, a large bison herd (actually herds) and an assortment of other animals (mostly we saw bison and prairie dogs)

Visitor Center & Video – their Visitor Center is in a nice building with a three-dimensional map in the middle showing the Park. Scattered around are a number of exhibits about the park – rocks, wildlife scenery. They were pretty good. We watched their video. One of the better Park videos. It was narrated by Kevin Costner and told the story of the Park and the Black Hills. Quite good.
Wildlife Loop Drive – we drove the 18 mile Loop to see if there were animals. And there were. Lots of bison. Didn’t know if we’d see the bison. Shouldn’t have worried. There were bunches. An interesting story of the bison’s demise and the work to restore them. Hard to imagine there were millions in the 19th Century and we killed almost all of them off (mainly as a way to control the Indians). Of the few left (estimated at about 500), they’ve been able to breed them so that there are around 35,000 now. The bison is certainly the area’s claim to fame. And we toured some pretty country. We’re clearly in the mountains. But without high peaks. Lots of trees and wide open meadows. And lots of rocks.

We had a wonderful day in the Park. Would like to return and explore it more.

Do yourself a favor and visit Custer State Park if you haven't already. Such a beautiful area with tons of wildlife to view! We saw two separate herds of Bison/Buffalo during our visit. They got up very close but we made sure to stay in our car! We saw numerous deer, pronghorn, burros and prairie dogs too. We stopped by the Bison center during our visit. The guide there was very friendly and informative!

Custer State Park is awesome. It's an incredible 71,000 acres, featuring cool wildlife, amazing hikes, scenic drives, beautiful lakes, visitor centers, resorts, campgrounds, etc. I highly recommend a visit.

You can see wildlife close and in nature. We saw 2 herds of buffalo, sheep and wild donkeys. Not to forget the beautiful natural views.

Such a beautiful scenic drive with plenty of wildlife to see.
Be sure to take your camera!
We say pronghorn, prairie dogs, deer, wild mules, bison and rams..

We drove the wilderness loop the first time and only saw an antelope. The state park pass is good for 7 days which is great. We took the same loop leaving town a couple days later and all kinds of buffalo which made our day.

This is one of the best state parks in the US and well worth the $20 weekly fee per vehicle. The scenery is outstanding and the park lodges have places to eat. If nothing else, see Sylvan Lake near the Needles Highway. If you have more time, take the recently repaved Wildlife Loop to see bison, prairie dogs, and more wildlife.